It is not every day that one sees girls training to become mechanics. But 16 teenage girls from Odisha’s far-flung Gajapati district came out recently to take the training in Berhampur, located more than 100 km. from their remote villages. “I was excited to get this opportunity, and I am happy that I was able to complete the four-month course,” shares Subarni Paikaray, a delighted 19-year-old from Gumma block. Subarni, as well as the other girls training with her, had been unable to pursue their studies any further, but they were happy that they had been selected for vocational training under a programme for empowerment of adolescent girls being implemented in the district. Now, they are preparing to be placed at service centres and showrooms around Gajapati and its nearby districts.

Likewise, Mamata Barik, 20, from Koraput district, has just finished a course in sales. “I had passed my Class X exams but could not continue my studies. My parents wanted me to get married. But I was lucky to come across this kind of training made available for rural youth. I could not let this opportunity pass,” says Mamata, who has received training under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), a placement-linked government employment scheme for rural poor youth. The Roshni initiative under the DDU-GKY is especially designed for young people hailing from extremist-violence-affected districts such as Koraput, Rayagada, Kandhamal, and Malkangiri. Here, at least 40% of the total candidates are required to be women, especially those belonging to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).

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