National Skill Development Corporation's programme has helped several Rashtrapati Bhavan staffers quit smoking
Minhaj Ali, a 54-year-old chef in Rashtrapati Bhavan, was a heavy smoker, and addicted to gutka for over a decade. The loyal chef, who served two Presidents, recently realised that his love for tobacco could kill him, and leave his family without a breadwinner.
He, like many others — who serve in the Rashtrapati Bhavan — were part of the government's skill development programme. The programme unexpectedly helped them give up smoking and tobacco consumption.
During the Recognition to Prior Learning (RPL) programme by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), several employees renounced their habits of smoking and chewing tobacco after realising the health hazards associated with them. "My family was upset with my habits. During the programme, when I saw other people quit their bad habits, I too realised that it is for my own good," said Ali.
A proud driver of the President's convoy, 53-year-old Shiv Kumar, began smoking three years ago. While attending the programme, Kumar realised that the habit was doing him more harm than good. "My father was also a driver at Rashtrapati Bhavan. I was not very inclined to attend the five-day programme, but now I am grateful that I did. Many of my colleagues too have quit unhealthy habits such as smoking and chewing tobacco in the past year," said Kumar.
Interestingly, the employees have also taken a pledge that they will keep these habits at bay and adopt a healthy lifestyle The inspiring stories came up when NSDC assessed the programme a year later.
The event was conducted in April 2016 to train 1,500 employees across 12 sectors and 19 job roles for meeting standards prescribed for their current jobs.
"At Rashtrapati Bhavan, we select candidates who have not undergone any formal training in their respective elds of work for a long time. Candidates with little or no educational background had enrolled for training (ranging from 8th to 10th or 12th pass to none). Training is provided by senior trainers with the use of multimedia-based content to engage the employees," said Manish Kumar, CEO and Managing Director, NSDC.
"It was unexpected, unconventional and inspiring that these candidates realised the value of life skills and understood that how bad habits such as alcohol, smoking and tobacco products can harm them in long run," said Kumar.
The workers not only learnt new professional skills, secrets of good and healthy life, they feel their overall performance has also improved. For 56-year-old Taufiquiddin, the President's butler, it was an experience of sorts. He was curious to know what the five-day training programme could add to his experience of 32 years of supervising the President's meals. He now recalls how the programme helped boost his self-development.
"I am conscious of how to manage my team and improve the standards of hygiene at work. I can identify the types of cheese and liquor available across the world and even arrange salad trolleys differently," said Taufiquiddin
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