A job fair by Delhi Police aims to keep youth on right track

“I think my interviews went well. I couldn’t give interviews with more than two companies as it was quite overwhelming,” she said. Nisha had graduated from school three years ago, but did not study further.

“Neither did my family let me study, nor did they let me seek work. But I really pushed for this. I think I should get a job today, but personally, a lot of value lies in the fact that I gained a lot of motivation and confidence,” she said.

Also seeking a job was Aarti (27) from Vasant Vihar, who was married off at the age of 17. “I have been at home for the last 10 years. I didn’t have support in joining this training or in seeking a job, but many other girls from surrounding areas are also here, so I’m persisting,” she said.

The programme was launched by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in August 2017. According to Devesh Srivastava, Joint CP (southern range), the aim is to “reduce juvenile delinquency and channel energy of the youth from economically weaker backgrounds into the programme. Men and women between ages 18 and 25 are selected by beat officers. We don’t want them to go astray, we want them to be role models.”

There are currently 21 training centres in police stations across the city operating under this scheme, which began with eight centres in 2017.

Srivastava said that 5,500 men and women have been trained under this programme so far.