Wanaparthy women receive 'Japa Care' training, creating new employment opportunities

An innovative initiative has been launched for rural women in the Wanaparthy district of Telangana, providing them with specialised training in 'Japa Care'—the care of mothers and newborn infants after childbirth. The training was organised by the Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI) located in Wanaparthy. The first batch of 36 trained women has already secured jobs in major cities such as Hyderabad and Bengaluru, with monthly salaries of ₹20,000. The primary objective of this programme is to meet the needs of the growing number of working couples in urban areas, where there is a shortage of caregivers for those living away from their families.

The training programme was scheduled for 20 days, from October 3 to October 28. During this period, the women were guided on topics such as newborn infant care, assistance in improving maternal health, hygiene, methods of preparing nutritious diets, communication skills, customer relations, and financial literacy. According to a report in 'The Hindu', Wanaparthy District Collector Adarsh Surabhi stated that he recognised the demand for this service based on his personal experience.

Generally, RSETI courses do not include 'Japa Care'; therefore, UBI RSETI Wanaparthy sought special assistance from NABARD for this purpose. NABARD approved a grant of ₹6.9 lakh under its 'Livelihood and Enterprise Development Programme' (LEDP). According to the district administration, this institution in Wanaparthy is perhaps the first of its kind in the country to provide such training. As this subject was unknown in rural areas, awareness was created with the help of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and local media.

Faculty members of the government nursing college in Wanaparthy played a significant role in providing the training. Additionally, guest lectures were delivered by professors from the government medical college. Practical training sessions were held at the nursing college, and visits were organised to the Mother and Child Care Hospital in Gopalpet and the Government General Hospital in Wanaparthy. Nutritionists trained the women in preparing nutritious food for the six to seven weeks following childbirth. B. Anil Kumar, Director of UBI-RSETI, stated that following this success, many other women have also expressed interest in undergoing this training.