A unique initiative to help girls from the Irani community pick up professional skills is proving to be a boon to them. A month-long course on how to set up a beauty parlour and run it successfully was completed at the Sharada rural development and self employment training institute here recently. As many as 23 girls participated.
Resource person Lakshmi Narayanpet taught them skin treatments, like facials, creative hair styles, mehendi, manicure and pedicure, hair removal, nail art, and scalp and face massage.
RUDSETI trainers also spoke about entrepreneurship, banking, accounting, prudent management practices and gave tips on how to run a profitable venture. They were given a checklist of furniture and materials needed to run a beauty parlour and told where to source them.
Rajendra Acharya, director, spoke about financing a business and the facilities offered under government schemes like Udyogini. Razia Balabatte, Omnath Kote and other trainers contibuted.
Fatima Anwar Ali, city municipal council president, supported the training session. She spoke at the valedictory and distributed certificates to trainees. “People have this misconception about the residents of Irani colony. They are always suspicious of us and think we are incapable of business or trade other than cheating and stealing. We need to defeat such prejudices and project a better image of the community,” Ms. Ali told The Hindu . She felt that training in professional skills and entrepreneurship would help youth find jobs or take up profitable business.
She also plans to provide loans to young men under government schemes and train them in various skills to make them self reliant.
“We are encouraging women to form self help groups to promote the saving habit. We are also encouraging all families to send their children to good primary schools,” she said.
