Among the many ways in
which we make a difference to the transport industry, the welfare of truck
drivers is one of our biggest causes. We instituted the Mahindra Saarthi
Abhiyaan programme
in 2014 to provide the daughters of the truck drivers
with scholarships so that they pursue their education beyond 10th
standard and make a respectable life and career for themselves. Through this programme, a scholarship of Rs. 10,000 was
awarded to each truck driver’s daughter who completed 10th standard
and showed a strong interest in pursuing further educational or vocational
courses. Till last year, we awarded scholarships to 4408 deserving girls in
more than 55 locations across the country.
For
over two decades, Project Nanhi Kali has taken more than 350,000 girls from
underprivileged families through ten years of schooling, providing them with
regular academic and material support. While doing this, they also ensured that
the young girls were not married off early, sent to work or kept at home for
chores or sibling care. Year after year, hundreds of Nanhi Kalis successfully
completed Class 10 and ‘graduated’ from the programme.
However, our interactions with Nanhi Kali alumni indicate that the girls continued to be vulnerable after Class 10, and there was a need to support teenage girls in India beyond secondary education.
Moreover, with
a tenth of the global population of adolescent girls, India is home to the
largest and youngest workforce in the world today. This critical fact inspired
us to invest in them, and in their well-being, education and providing them
skills. Not just to make a big difference to them but also to tap into their
productivity, economic potential and leadership for the well-being of the
nation.
In order to
design a programme that meets the needs of young girls, we conducted a survey -
the Teen Age Girls Survey (TAG Survey) that reached over 74,000 households
across 600 districts in all the 30 states of India. This survey, which was
released in October 2018, echoed the voice of teenage girls in India and their
biggest needs and aspirations …
- 86.9% want to learn English
- 86.5% want to learn how to use a Computer
- 76.5% wish to pursue Graduation
With this information, we joined hands
with Nanhi Kali to make Mahindra Saarthi Abhiyaan even more robust and
effective. And now, this 2.0 version will provide teenage girls the
opportunity to pursue their dreams of higher education and obtain a university
degree along with learning English and Computers. So they can go on to lead
independent, dignified lives and contribute to the nation’s growth. Our new
programme will start by adopting 500 daughters of Commercial Vehicle Drivers in
Hyderabad and Pune and we’re sure it will go from strength to strength.
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