Women drivers to give a new lease of life to ‘meter auto’ service

Rotary Club distributes first aid kits to be kept in the vehicles

May 14, 2013 03:08 pm | Updated 03:11 pm IST - TIRUCHI:

S. Mohamed Hussain, president, Rotary Club of Tiruchirapalli, giving away thefirst aid kits to women autorickshaw drivers at an International Red CrossDay function in Tiruchirapalli on Monday. Photo: R. M. Rajarathinam

S. Mohamed Hussain, president, Rotary Club of Tiruchirapalli, giving away thefirst aid kits to women autorickshaw drivers at an International Red CrossDay function in Tiruchirapalli on Monday. Photo: R. M. Rajarathinam

Women autorickshaw drivers, who are being trained by the Women Entrepreneur’s Association of Tamil Nadu (WEAT), may not only usher the trend of metered autoricksaws in the city, but also exemplify the significance of first-aid on roads.

First-aid kits, like meters, are generally non-existent in autorickshaws in the city. Thanks to the distribution of first-aid kits to 15 women trainee drivers by the Rotary Club of Tiruchirapalli, this may soon change. The women drivers are expected to give life to the metered autoricksaw scheme devised by the Consumer Protection Council, Tamil Nadu.

While 25 women turned up for the training, some withdrew for various reasons, primarily financial. Of the 15 women being trained, five have obtained driving licence, said N. Manimekalai, professor, Department of Women’s Studies, Bharathidasan University.

S. Mohamed Hussain, president of the club, presided over the programme.

While most first-aid boxes in autorickshaws are used to store tools, the women drivers would make right use of them, said Panchanathan, a club member.

The kits were presented on the club’s observance of International Red Cross Day, said secretary S. Rajasekaran.

In connection with the event, a talk on “life without medicine” was given by Om Prakash, alternative medicine exponent from Mumbai. He elaborated on the benefits of food in nature, particularly fruits.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.