'Kilkari': Creche At Indore's Police Training College Helps Women Recruits Strike Work-Family Balance, Know-How

Young women students at the Police Training College in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, are finding the children's nursery or the creche facility to be extremely helpful. The facility is especially a boon for women who are starting life anew after the demise of their husbands.

Women police recruits undergo rigorous and strict training of at least nine months before they can be deployed in the force. To ensure that their training remains hassle-free and they are able to strike a work-family balance, the authorities have installed the facility in the college.

One-Of-A-Kind Creche

The "Kilkari" creche opened at the college's "Vatsalya" hostel can accommodate 20 children at once and is the first of its kind in MP, said a senior official on Tuesday, as reported by The Print.

"We noticed that women who have small children also come to our training centre. Due to the lack of childcare facilities, they face a lot of difficulties during training and at times have to even postpone training," stated Hitika Vasal, Superintendent of Police, Police Training College.

The facility is equipped with toys for children to play with and a television for entertainment. Moreover, the facility provides a teacher who can teach preschool syllabus to the children. According to SP Vasal, a family member of the women trainees may also stay on the creche grounds to watch over the children, thus ensuring additional security and care.

Women Trainees Grateful

Earlier this year, Priya Yadav (25), a woman trainee, lost her husband, police constable Dilip Yadav in a car accident in Betul district. She was seven months pregnant at the time of his death. Yadav is currently undergoing training at the college after she was selected as a constable on compassionate grounds.

A native of the Khandwa district, she stays with her daughter on the college premises. "Physical training starts early in the morning, and the classes continue till night. But because of this creche, I am getting a lot of help in taking care of my daughter and can attend training in peace," she said.

At present, 200 constables are undergoing training, of which 118 are women, said Inspector Shailja Bhadoria. New recruits are put through nine months of laborious physical and mental training. Women need to focus on the training phase with undivided attention as without clearing the training, they cannot be selected for field deployment, she added.

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