India: Farmer's Daughter, Family's Breadwinner

By Usha Revelli

Recently Shakuntala Volaka, 21, called up home for the first time after joining her new job in Nalgonda. The first thing she told her father was that she did not miss home, for "Nalgonda has mountains just like those at home". Home for this young woman is the lush and mountainous Srikakulam district in the tribal belt of north coastal Andhra Pradesh.
Shakuntala's father, Suryanarayana Volaka, 58, is a cook at the Tribal Welfare Boys' Hostel in Seetampet 'mandal', an Integrated Tribal Development Authority (ITDA) block.

(A 'mandal' refers to an administrative unit comprising many village councils.) He is mighty proud of his daughter: not only has she secured a job as a sales assistant in a supermarket in the city, she also earns four times of what he does - while Shakuntala gets Rs 5,500 a month, her father is paid around Rs 1,500.

Shakuntala is among scores of young women in rural Andhra Pradesh who are traversing an exciting trajectory: from a nondescript village school to a job in the new economy. And they have managed to accomplish this gratis the Employment Generation and Marketing Mission (EGMM), launched three years back by the state's Department of Rural Development. The EGMM is primarily designed to ensure that youngsters in the state spend their time acquiring an income-generating skill rather than get swayed by extremist ideologies.

In Seetampet, the main source of livelihood is picking cashews. Daily wages are paid for this work, but it varies from district to district. At some places the girls are paid by the weight of the nuts picked, elsewhere they are paid by the day. Either way, they don't make more than Rs 50 to Rs 60 a day. Seetampet has no cashew factories so work is limited to harvesting from the trees, which are in bloom for eight months in a year. So, during the off-season people are compelled to make a measly earning by collecting and selling firewood for about Rs 80 (US$1=Rs 43.2) a 'kavadi' (two baskets hanging at the ends of a long stick balanced across the shoulders). The other option is to work as agricultural labour. Most of the families here belong to Scheduled Tribes and their average monthly income rarely goes beyond Rs 2,000. But, with the setting up of the EGMM training centres in the 'mandal', at least the youngsters get the requisite tools to fulfill their
dreams.

The Jobs Programme of EGMM identifies, trains, and links Below Poverty Line (BPL) rural youth to entry-level jobs in customer relations, hospitality sector, IT-enabled services and security services in the cities. And to ensure that their endeavour is a success, the EGMM has partners like the National Academy of Construction, Dr. Reddy Labs and the Maytas Group, who help train them in skills such as construction, plumbing, carpentry, electric lining, hospitality, hotel management and security services. In fact, recently the state government entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with 13 firms, including Global College of Hotel Management, Construction Industry Development Council and Hyderabad Gems Special Economic Zone Limited, to help train 100,000 rural youths this year.

Meera Shenoy, Executive Director, EGMM, elaborates, "We have developed, with industry help, the country's first Rural Retail Academy as well as the Rural English and Computer Academy. These training centres - 191 are functioning statewide - have been set up in the heart of the tribal areas where the youth have been disillusioned and alienated for a long time now." There is no feel charged at the centres - in fact, as the EGMM programmes are residential, the students are provided with lodging, food and even given a small stipend. The sessions are conducted by resource persons that are part of EGMM's Programme Monitoring and Resource Centre.

Rather appropriately, it's the women's Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the 'mandal' that spread information about the EGMM programmes and motivate families to enrol their daughters. Suryanarayana's neighbour, Janardhana Rao Senapati, a tailor, has three girls. When his wife, Vijayalakshmi, a member of the local SHG, told him about the training opportunity, he promptly enrolled his elder two daughters at the local centre. Today, they are contributing substantially to the household income. "I had been the sole bread-winner of the family until my daughters Madhavi, 23, and Santoshi, 21, got jobs in the city, as sales supervisors in More Supermarkets. I had no hesitation in sending them out for work," he says.

Sarojanamma Biddiga, 52, president of Grama Samakhya (a local village tribal association) in Labba village, says, "It is a matter of pride to watch our girls turn from gauche ducklings into confident swans. I have seen how they groom youngsters. I want all the children in my village to benefit from it."

While the Jobs Programme gives specific vocational training, the English and Computer Training Programme provides basic computer and English-speaking skills. In addition, it hones their inter-personal skills by teaching them about the importance of body language, etiquette, and good dressing. The result: a work-ready, smart and confident workforce - and all within a span of 45 days.

M. Surendra, Project Officer, ITDA, and the programme in-charge at Seetampet says, "In Srikakulam district here the programme has always focused on the career angle. We try to do a complete confidence-building job." And judging by the numbers, the approach has met with success. During the last year-and-a-half, out of the 383 boys and girls trained in the 'mandal' in three batches, 360 youngsters have found jobs.

After a batch completes training, a placement session is held where companies like McDonald's, Reliance Fresh, Pizza Hut, More Supermarkets and Satyam Computers come regularly to recruit.

For the young women the real test begins when they relocate to the cities. Most do take to the city life, but every day brings with it new lessons. Despite living away from their families in congested hostels; and despite the long working hours, extra duties and, at times, no weekly-offs, these girls are determined to make the best of the opportunity given to them. "There are so many things I want to buy for myself. But at the end of the month, when I get my salary, I just want to send it home," says Santoshi Senapati, who works in Hyderabad.

Those youngsters who work as sales persons earn anywhere between Rs 3800 and Rs 4500 a month, while those who have completed their 12th Class or have a Bachelor's degree get Rs 5,500 upwards.

Some time ago, young women like Santoshi and Shakuntala could only dream of becoming farm labourers or cashew pickers. Today, they casually exchange notes on the software used at their workplaces, having seamlessly blended into the urban fabric. In fact, even the employers are proud of this workforce. "I don't really find any difference between the girls hailing from the tribal regions and those that are city-bred. If anything, the one's from the rural background are more disciplined and dedicated. We just have to customise their skill to suit our needs," says Satyanarayana Rao, a manager at More Supermarkets.

Indeed, these daughters of poor and illiterate villagers are now fiercely confident, empowered women who are working towards a better tomorrow; both for themselves and their families back in the old village.

(Courtesy: Women's Feature Service)

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