Gender imbalance has been a consistent issue in various sectors, especially the transportation sector. It has been reported by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) that women only account for 16.8 per cent of the world’s employment in the transportation industry. In accordance with these estimations, gender imbalance might be an issue that will last for 132 years.
India is among the developing countries with major imbalance: out of 1000 working individuals, only 27 women and 117 males work in transportation.
There is still work being done on initiatives aimed at increasing female participation. The Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative (LAccMI) programme is one initiative. In 2023, the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) and Palladium India launched this venture. The purpose of this plan is to link GPs, Block Headquarters, and District Headquarters, as well as other important commercial, educational, and medical centres, to public transportation throughout the state.
The programme has a particular emphasis on the empowerment of women. Thus far, LAccMI’s partnership with Mission Shakti SHG has empowered more than 2,000 women by opening doors to revenue-generating opportunities and promoting financial independence.
One of these women is Geetanjali Jena, commonly referred to as LAccMI didi in her hometown of Malkangiri, Odisha. Her five-member family struggled to pay bills on time and make sure the three kids received a good education. She started teaching her village’s kids to sew, but her earnings were insufficient to sustain her family.
She submitted an application for a job under the LAccMI plan as soon as it was announced. She was placed in a training programme for ticketing, interacting with passengers, and other bus responsibilities after passing the interview. She has made great progress since then, earning over Rs 8000 crore.
In addition to giving women social and financial independence, the programme offers female passengers a flat ticket of just Rs 5 or Rs 10, enabling around 75 per cent of Odisha’s female population to travel more affordably.
The programme is expected to create 37,000 direct and indirect employees. This is expected to bring in an income of Rs 4,500 crore over the next five years.
Palladium India’s CEO, Amit Patjoshi, said that the company’s dedication is to give women the confidence to take control of their lives and destinies.
