Delhi’s 10 night shelters will have basic skill centres by December 2

New Delhi : With the winter setting in and the number of homeless to be rescued likely to increase, the Delhi government has decided to start skill centres at 10 night shelters, where people will be taught basic vocational skills. The Delhi government officials said the move was a part of the Technical Education Community Outreach Scheme (TECOS) and is expected to help the homeless earn a respectable living and improve their living standards.

The government has already granted Rs 50 lakh for the project, which will only be facilitated by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB). “The skill centers will be run by various NGOs, and basic skills such as khadi spinning and weaving, gas cutting, welding, repair of electronics, automobile repair, garment, printing and beautician courses will be taught,” said a Delhi government official.

“The project will be monitored by the Skill Development Department and NGOs will help teach the homeless at the night shelters,” said Bipin Rai, expert member, DUSIB.

The night shelters chosen for the purpose include Sarai Kale Khan, Parda Bagh, Geeta Park and Karol Bagh. “The locations were chosen based on the relatively high footfall that these shelters witness. The initiative is a pilot project, and if it receives a warm response, will be expanded to other centers,” said a Delhi government official.

He further said the project is likely to be launched on December 2 by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. “The government can’t force people to actually come up and learn these skills. If, however, we find that the response is better than just lukewarm, the project will be expanded to other night shelters,” added the official.

At present, DUSIB has 198 night shelters that can accommodate 16,338 people. Apart from these permanent structures, DUSIB has decided to set up temporary shelters as well, to ensure that no night shelter is at a distance of more than a kilometer.

“As per our survey, there are nearly 16,000 homeless people in the national Capital. Additional accommodations, however, will be set up to ensure that there is no shortage,” Rai said.

Note: News shared for public awareness with reference from the information provided at online news portals.