Mumbai SEZ (MSEZ) embarks on rehabilitation of PAPs children

Mumbai, Apr 25 (UNI) Controversy surrounding land acquisition and resistance from majority of locals notwithstanding, the Mumbai SEZ (MSEZ) has embarked on training children of Project Affected People (PAPs) with minimum skills.

Making a beginning, MSEZ inducted a batch of 28 youngsters, children of PAPs from 45 villages coming under MSEZ in Raigad district for three months of training at the Apparel Training and Design Centre (ATDC). ATDC is situated in Sanpada, Navi Mumbai. The institute functions under the Union Commerce Ministry to provide manpower to the Apparel industry.

Out of the 28, eight of them including six girls have obtained jobs in an apparel manufacturing unit at Nerul in Navi Mumbai.

The training was an initiative of MSEZ through its Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R and R) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) departments.

MSEZ is committed to uplifting the people in 45 villages coming under it socially and economically. MSEZ spans 10,000 hectare of land in 45 villages in Panvel, Uran and Pen in Raigad district. About 10 to 20 per cent of the land has already been acquired. There are about 15,000 families which will be affected due to the project and MSEZ has already devised plans to rehabilitate them.

The first batch of 28 youngsters, which belongs to Pirkone village in Uran taluka of Raigad district, are not qualified, with the maximum degree being SSC examination pass. After undergoing free training in the Sewing Machine Operator (SMO) course at the initiative of MSEZ at ATDC and having successfully cleared it this month, they have been employed at S Q Enterprise on a decent salary.

The remaining 20 from the first batch have been offered jobs by another garment manufacturing unit in Navi Mumbai, according to Mr Baburao Rathod from the R&R department. Some of the girls have been considering whether to accept the offer in view of the distance they would have to commute from their homes in Chirner or Kalwe to the units in Thane-Belapur industrial belt.

The offer letters from the manufacturing units, accompanied by a letter from the Principal of ATDC and also MSEZ, have been dispatched to these girls, Mr Rathod said.

It was not easy enrolling the 'students', particularly the girls from the villages of Pirkone, Bhom, Chirner, Vindhane, Bhom and Kalve for the SMO course although it was offered free-of-cost, inclusive of to-and-fro transportation from their villages to the ATDC, said Ms Vaishali, an executive from the R&R department who has been extensively touring these villages.

''After six students out of the batch of 34 dropped out, I visited the home of each and every candidate, talked to their parents to understand their difficulties and also personally met the girls,'' Vaishali says, adding that some of them were heckled by local youths and even ridiculed as ''agents of Reliance'' for joining the ATDC.

However, it was their sheer grit and determination to support their families with their earnings that they decided to join the course.

In fact, one of the girls challenged the villagers, saying, ''If you stop me, give me guarantee that you will provide me with the training MSEZ has promised. Otherwise, give me a job. If you can do this, I will not join the course.'' More UNI