States across the country have been launching various welfare schemes to help people whose lives and livelihoods were majorly impacted by the pandemic. The Tamil Nadu government, too, has taken various steps in this regard, creating job opportunities being one of these. It has been issuing grants and other benefits to children who lost either one or both parents to Covid 19.
But at times, monetary value cannot really compensate the loss of a loved one who was also the sole breadwinner of the family. This is why the District Collector of Erode district started an additional initiative – a Job Mela or employment fair, along with the other government schemes, to provide stability in the life of the affected families.
SKILL TRAINING
While speaking to Indian Masterminds, District Collector of Erode, Mr. Krishnanunni, said, “It was a really tough time for us during the Covid spread, especially during the second wave. Losing even a single member of the family is a big shock but losing the breadwinner makes life more difficult. So that is when we thought of providing jobs, apart from the grants and other benefits, to such people and give them some prospects, so that they have something to look forward to.”
Due to the loss of the sole breadwinner, many women were facing distress as they had no source of income. So more than employment, the district administration also focused on improving their skills by providing them special training.
Around 450 children were also identified, who lost their parents during the Covid pandemic and, hence, their rehabilitation was planned on the basis of their educational qualification by providing jobs or loan facilities to start small ventures.
Mr. Krishnanunni said, “We have various skill training avenues in the district which are headed by the state government, where these people are being placed. We are also actively finding out affected people who are not on the list and can be benefitted by this initiative.”
JOB MELA
A total of 182 candidates took part in the Job Mela and recruitment was conducted by 17 industries. 14 candidates got selected for the next round, seven received their job offers, while eight were selected for free skill training in tailoring by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
A total of 20 persons were referred for receiving free legal aid while one person was recommended for receiving a loan for starting a business. The Collector himself handed over offer letters to the successful candidates. He said, “This is not a one-time thing. We are planning to do it periodically so that we can track them and finally get to the point where they get placed in companies.”
M. Maheswari, Assistant Director (District Employment), S. Satheesh Kumar, District Child Protection Officer, Jothi, District Employment Officer, and other officials were also present at the fair
