Kejriwal, LG inaugurate ten skill centres at night shelters

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 10

Making their first appearance together Lt Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today inaugurated ten skill development centres dedicated to the homeless in the city.

During the event in West Delhi's Tilak Nagar area, Baijal congratulated the Aam Aadmi Party government on the project while Kejriwal on his part thanked the LG for inspiring the city administration to implement such public interest initiative by gracing the function.

The homeless to get training in different skills 

Set up by the government, skill development centres have been installed at ten night shelters, including one at Tilak Nagar, where the homeless will be imparted training by qualified teachers in a range of skills, including basic sewing, beauty culture, plumbing, electrical work and a crash course in simple cooking.

The Lt Governor said, “It is good to see that homeless people have not been only provided shelters here, they are also being made employable so that they can earn their livelihood on their own...very good initiative and I welcome it.”

70-year-old Baijal also said that he was happy that after assuming the office of Lt Governor, he has come to an event the first time where urban shelters and their activities are being discussed.

The LG said that government should focus on credibility of training programme so that people, who get training at night shelters here, could get employment.

On his part, Kejriwal thanked Baijal while saying that in the coming days, he hopes that together he and the government will work for three-four folds development of Delhi.

“It is on our request, the LG spared his time for the event, I thank him for inspiring us by coming... In the coming days, we all will work for the three-four folds development of Delhi with the people of Delhi,” the Chief Minister said.

Baijal’s predecessor Najeeb Jung and the AAP government had been at loggerheads over many issues.

Kejriwal said people living at night shelters are neither voters nor vote bank of any political party and no government has in the past worked for them.

“In the last one-and-a-half years, our works towards homeless people reflects that AAP government doesn’t work for votes and instead it works for humanity. It is our responsibility to take care of them,” Kejriwal said.

He added that during 2005-06 staying at JJ clusters, he had found that people, especially women, faced a lot of problems while going to the toilets in the open and NGOs which criticised the previous governments for bad condition of night shelters are now praising this government.