NEW DELHI: Not so long ago, they were into petty crime, hunted by the police, found in dens of drug addicts or condemned as rag pickers. They led a life fraught with uncertainty and fear. Not anymore. Putting the past behind, they have emerged as go-getters and have earned respect from their new professions. Hundreds of such teenagers and young boys and girls are skillfully engaged today, thanks to GMR, the developer and operator of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here.
GMR Varalakshmi is transforming the lives of people from its centre near Terminal 3 of the airport. It has rehabilitated 3,000 of them for free, turning them into housekeeping staff, electricians, data entry operators and customer services in the airport. The seven short-term programmes offered include basic computing, electrical and house wiring, refrigeration and air-conditioning, basic cargo management and spa health therapy. The centre provides short-term skilling programmes to youths, poor and unemployed, those brought by NGOs and by police as part of rehabilitation exercise. “We provide them ethics training along with the regular programmes. They are taught how to behave with seniors and colleagues and ways to lead a decent life,” instructors said.
About 10 per cent of the trainees were rag pickers and drug addicts. Around 500 of them are from near the airport and more than 200 are employed with the vendors working for IGI Airport in facility maintenance, cargo, as data entry operators, etc.