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Mumbai : CEAT’s CSR initiative project Swayam, being implemented by RPG Foundation, has announced a major milestone by felicitating 35 women who are ready to embark on the next level of their journey as professional vehicle drivers.

 This initiative aims at driving powerful social change in the motor driving industry.

 The Swayam-trained women drivers will be placed with Priyadarshini Taxi Services, V-Link, Meru Cabs and school van services amongst others. Driver jobs in various radio taxis like Uber, Ola Cabs, Concierge Services and online driver portals are being explored.
The women drivers were presented with keys by the respective service providers as a token of being hired for on-the-job training.

 Commenting on the initiative, Anant Goenka, MD, CEAT Limited said, "The programme aims at breaking stereotypes in a male dominated field and focuses on promoting gender equality & women’s empowerment. Swayam, in its first phase, has already gained an incredible response from women from less privileged background. We are not only training them but also exploring employment in taxi services, concierge service, school vans, patient care assistants cum drivers, etc."

 "Working with any of these services will easily help them earn between Rs.10,000 to Rs.15,000 per month. We hope to see a transformation in the lives of the underprivileged women trained by our CEAT Swayam programme, driving vehicles in Mumbai and all across India and changing the quality of their life."

 Project Swayam focuses on empowering underprivileged women by professionally training them in motor driving, with an aim of making them financially independent.

 More than 3,000 women from low income groups were covered as a part of the mobilization drive launched in March 2014.

 The programme is currently training 300 underprivileged women in Mumbai, Thane and Pune. The women will get driving licence by the end of April 2015 through its training partner Motor Education & Training Association (META).