450 domestic helps get smartcards

NEW DELHI: Hiring a domestic help will be different from now on. The International Labour Organization (ILO), along with the ministry of labour and employment and Delhi government, has issued a smartcard to 450 domestic helps after providing them a six-month-long training in basic domestic work. The card, which has a USB drive, can be inserted into any computer with an internet connection and it opens a domestic workers' page on a portal that is still being developed.The smartcard provides access to all the important details like the worker's police verification, health certificate, earlier employer's details and recommendations.
"Only the administration - in this case probably the state government - can make changes in the work profile of the domestic helps. The system is at a testing stage and a beta version of it is being tested using the cards of the 450 trained workers," said Pooja Gianchandani, an ILO consultant.
The 450 domestic helps were provided basic training in Delhi for four to six months in cleaning, cooking and washing. The programme was launched in 2008 and training of these workers began in 2009. The Skills Development Initiative (SDI) for domestic helps is a part of the National Skill Development Initiative, which aims to provide training to one million people over the next five years and one million people each year after that.
The SDI will provide short-term flexible modular training courses through the Modular Employable Skills (MES) scheme led by the ministry of labour and employment. The courses will be delivered through public-private partnership arrangements. The acquiring of skills will be evaluated by official bodies selected by the central government and certified by the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT).
While interacting with actor and UN Youth Champion Monique Coleman, some of the trained domestic helps said their working conditions have significantly improved since the training. "I had come to Delhi in 2006 and was completely clueless. The palatial houses and urban life was all new to me and I felt out of place as I had never been to a school. The training was of great help as it taught me how to conduct myself, attend to a phone call and interact with people. I learnt to take of my personal hygiene and health. Now I feel more equipped and am more comfortable in an urban setting," said Vilasi, a part of Delhi Domestic Workers' Forum.
Nineteen-year-old Jasvinta said, "I came from Assam in 2007 and didn't have even a smattering of English or Hindi as I was brought up in a place where people spoke only in Assamese. I worked for a piddling amount and found it difficult to communicate. Things changed after I joined Yuvati Niwas in 2008 as I started learning English and Hindi and have passed class IV. Now I have a cleaning job in Sarvodaya Enclave and I'm paid twice as much. Since I'm aware of my rights, life seems pleasant."
Monica Coleman, star of the show High School Musical and the first UN Youth Champion, has been touring the world and is currently in India. She said she felt inspired after interacting with the labourers on Friday. "It is a cycle and these people need to help others reach the same level of awareness and know their rights. They have to take leaps of courage and rise above the situation."
The UN resident coordinator for India, Patrice Couer-Bizot, stressed the immense contribution made by domestic helps. "They need to learn how to say no and not accept abysmal working conditions. They should also protest against abuse and underpayment. It is important that they know their rights and that they are not alone. They are a big part of the reason why India is becoming a superpower and for India's economy to grow, these people also need to grow."