23 March,2011 07:07 AM IST | | The Guide Team
The fairer sex in the Rashtrapati Bhawan is the focus of president Pratibha Patil, and she has set up self-help groups to help uplift their condition
The First Citizen of India changes every five years. And with every change comes new ideas and hopes. With the swearing in of the country's first woman President, little wonder that the fairer sex would be the prime focus of President Pratibha Patil. But that's not all, because Patil is also focussing on promoting efficient use of energy in Rashtrapati Bhawan apart from improving the conditions of women.
A view of Mughal Gardens Pics/Imtiyaz Khan
With these twin objectives in mind, President Patil had launched the Roshni Project on July 25, 2010. The project is about measures through which the use of electricity can be reduced and more and more solar panels used at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Giving them a chance
Along with solar panels, for the first time measures have been taken to promote employment opportunities for women. Wives of Class IV employees were selected and encouraged to work for their betterment. Various self-help groups (SHG) like Rani Jhansi SHG, Mother Teresa SHG, Kalpana Chawla SHG and Indira SHG have been started to uplift the conditions of these women. For that reason, they prepare compost, make paper bags, ground spices and all these efforts are completely supported by the President.
It might sound incredible but the raw material used in preparing products like paper bags are mostly waste
products.
They do not only make them, but these women also package the goods they make. Once made, the items are then sold to people in order to make money. "We are promoting this project to increase the confidence levels amongst these women so that they can stand on their feet," says Archana Datta, OSD (PR) to the President, regarding the project.
"Using earthworms to prepare the vermin compost was initially very difficult but now we are used to it," said Savita Devi of Mother Teresa SHG.How did the project bring about a change in their lifestyle? "Earlier when we didn't have any work to do, it used to be very boring, but with the President's help, now we can say that we are someone and are even confident while nteracting with people," says Kavita of Rani Jhansi SHG.Another interesting fact is that the women are not saddled with too much work. They only work for five to six hours everyday.
Grab them
On a different note, if you have always wanted to show-off that you visited Mughal Garden and Rashtrapati Bhawan, then here is a golden chance. Pick up shirts, mugs, table lamps, photo frames, key chains and other items with the Rashtrapati Bhawan emblem from the souvenir shop next time you are there.
We saw these products on display and asked the owner whether they sell well. "This year, people are showing a lot of interest in buying these products. The T-shirts are the pop picks. But we are expecting a lot more visitors," says owner Anil Kumar.
Taking a step ahead
There's more to Rashtrapati Bhawan in the form of Sopan. This is an organisation for children which provides education, meals and entertainment to the children of the staff working in Rashtrapati Bhawan.
