India's First Mainline Railway Station Managed By All Women In Gandhi Nagar Draws Praise From UN

The United Nation has appreciated Indian Railways for its women empowerment initiative, as Indian Railways launched the country’s first full fledge, all women railway station at Gandhi Nagar, Rajasthan. In February this year, Indian railway handed over Gandhi Nagar railway station of Jaipur district, under North Western Railway to all women railway crew.

The United Nations in its appreciation tweeted:

https://twitter.com/UNinIndia/status/1128899904707878912?s=20

This model railway station is first of its kind where full operations and maintenance are done by women employees. Jobs such as ticket seller, ticket collector, station master, including sanitation staff are managed by the female employees.

Railway minister tweeted on the same:

Gandhi Nagar Railway Station in Jaipur, Rajasthan becomes India's first non-suburban station fully operated 24×7 by women staff, which includes station operations & Railway Protection Force. Railways is leading by an example to empower women & bring positive change in the society pic.twitter.com/8eKUegsMoP

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) February 21, 2018

Better efficiency

The railway station has 40 female staff and, is working more effectively, than its male counterparts. In one month, 520 travellers without tickets were caught, whereas, in the same month last year only 64 were nabbed. In a single day, 50 trains pass by this railway station, with 24 trains having their halt. Daily, it receives a footfall of nearly 7000 passengers. The commuters’ experience has changed substantially, in term of providing faster services, smaller queues, CCTV cameras and better cleanliness.

In order to facilitate women commuters better, recently, a women police station was inaugurated at the railway station and sanitary napkin vending machines were installed.

Set a precedent

With an aim to empower it’s women employees, Indian railways started this initiative, to engage women employees in full maintenance of a railway station, as this will have social implications and set a precedence. It’s a good sign that women’s are able to manage Railway station on their own, and, In countries like India, where female participation in the workforce is just 27%, such steps are quintessential.

Matunga railway station of Mumbai zone is also managed by all women crew and it is in the sub-urban category while Gandhi Nagar railway station is country’s first in the mainline category.

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