Kudumbashree eyes outsourced works of railway

After leaving its footprint in diverse fields ranging from garbage-collection and pickle-making to IT business, Kerala's women neighbourhood network "Kudumbashree Mission" is now foraying into parking management of railway stations.
The network, which has four million women as members, will manage the parking and parcel services of Varkala railway station near here from next week, a top official said today.
"We are now foraying into another field. We are taking the responsibility of the parking service of Varkala railway station from Sunday", Kudumbashree Executive Director K B Valsala Kumari told PTI here.
She said the Mission has also plans to manage the parcel service of the station in the coming days.

"The Railways has given us the opportunity for three months. We will get a further extension if they are satisfied with our performance," she said.
She said discussions are also going on with the Railways to get the responsibility of management of selected small stations in the state.

"The Railway is already outsourcing jobs like ticket distribution and cleaning of many tiny railway stations. Discussions are going on to get Kudumbashree the management of some of such tiny stations," she said.
Valsalakumari earlier told a media seminar, organized by the Kudumbashree district mission, that six states had entered into an agreement with the network to replicate its micro financing and other models of development there.

She said the Mission was also planning to start more community colleges to provide training for its volunteers and other interested women in the fields like automobile mechanism, carpentry and administration.
Kudumbashree would partner with national broadcaster Doordarshan to bring out a 100-episode social realty show focusing on the activities of its various CDSs, she added.
All India Mahila Congress Vice President Bindhu Krishna inaugurated the programme.