Led by Vaishali Bhandwalkar, Nirman has successfully placed nearly 75 women into professional driving roles over the last three to four years. Participants typically earn between ₹25,000 and ₹30,000 each month handling commercial transit duties. Widowed mothers Jyoti Sonawale and Sulochana both utilised this training to transition away from low-paying informal jobs. Today, they transport corporate employees across Pune's major business hubs, with some drivers even taking on secondary night routes at the airport.
Key points
Professional driving training provides women from marginalised backgrounds with a viable…: Professional driving training provides women from marginalised backgrounds with a viable pathway to sustainable, higher-paying employment.
Beneficiaries have successfully transitioned from precarious domestic labour and small jo…: Beneficiaries have successfully transitioned from precarious domestic labour and small jobs into steady roles serving multinational corporations.
High-performing drivers in the programme can earn upwards of ₹50,000 per month depending…: High-performing drivers in the programme can earn upwards of ₹50,000 per month depending on their assigned shifts.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
When Jyoti Sonawale lost her husband during the Covid-19 pandemic, she suddenly became responsible for raising three daughters and running the household. She tried different small jobs but struggled to find a stable income. Today, she drives employees of IT companies in Hinjewadi, Pune, and her daughters proudly tell people that their mother is a professional driver.
Sulochana's journey took a different route but began with a similar loss. After her husband died, she left her marital home with her three daughters and took up domestic work to support them. She spent nearly two years washing clothes, cleaning houses and cooking before deciding to learn how to drive. Today, she works as a professional driver, sometimes taking up two shifts in a day to meet her family's needs.
Both women are part of a growing group of women in Pune who have entered professional driving through a training and employment initiative run by Nirman. According to its
official website, the programme, led by Vaishali Bhandwalkar, has trained around 100 women over the past three to four years, and nearly 75…
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