Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF), the philanthropic arm of Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL), announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ‘Navjyoti Transforming Lives & Careers Society’ NGO and BluSmart, India’s largest EV ride hailing service and charging infrastructure network, providing employment to 250 trained women drivers who are the beneficiaries of HMIF’s ‘Drive4Progress’ initiative.
The MoU was exchanged between Mr. Anirudh Arun, Co-Founder & CEO – BluSmart Fleet and Mr. Gurusharan Khurana, President – ‘Navjyoti Transforming Lives & Careers Society’ NGO, in the presence of Mr. Puneet Anand, AVP & Vertical Head, Corporate Affairs, Hyundai Motor India and Mr. Soon Sang Hong, Domain Advisor, Corporate Affairs, Hyundai Motor India.
- 250 women drivers to get employment in Delhi NCR region through a strategic partnership and MoU between Navjyoti NGO and BluSmart, under the aegis of Hyundai Motor India Foundation Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF) champions ‘Drive4Progress’ – a driver skill development initiative aimed at providing professional training and employment opportunities for youth Program includes theory and soft skills training, practical driving lessons and experience, license processing and employment opportunities Initiative promotes inclusivity ensuring 30% beneficiaries are women
Speaking at the MoU exchange event, Mr. Puneet Anand, AVP & Vertical Head, Corporate Affairs, Hyundai Motor India, said, “Under Hyundai’s global brand vision of ‘Progress for Humanity’, Hyundai Motor India Foundation’s collaboration with Navjyoti and BluSmart inspires inclusion by providing employment opportunity to women drivers. It reflects our determination for women empowerment and skill development, in alignment with the government’s overarching vision to address the growing demand for skilled workforce in India. By equipping women with the necessary skills and support, this collaboration underscores the potential for positive social change and the importance of corporate social responsibility in promoting gender inclusivity, with participation of women in traditionally male-dominated sectors.”
Expressing enthusiasm about this collaboration, Mr. Anirudh Arun, Co-Founder & CEO, BluSmart Fleet, said, “BluSmart is the only ride hailing service in India with a focused initiative to train, skill and empower women driver partners and provide them with a safe place to work. Our commitment towards gender inclusivity in the transportation sector is shown through our consistent efforts to onboard women driver partners onto our platform. Partnerships such as these are key to open up skilling and employment opportunities for women in this field. At BluSmart, our women driver partners are at the forefront of mobility, taking our mission of decarbonisation to greater heights.”
“We are excited to join hands with BluSmart to promote women’s participation in the transportation sector. By leveraging our expertise in creating robust training modules and HMIF’s support for social impact, we aim to create a more inclusive and equitable transportation ecosystem. Through this program, we endeavor to empower women with the skills and opportunities they need to succeed as professional drivers,” added Mr. Gurusharan Khurana, President – Navjyoti Transforming Lives & Careers Society.
This is a part of HMIF’s social initiative ‘Drive4Progress’, a driver skill development initiative aimed at providing professional driver training and employment opportunities for youth. The project, launched in October 2023, aims to cover over 1 500 youth including a minimum of 30% women, from Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal, over the next 3 years. HMIF, in collaboration with Navjyoti NGO, the implementation agency for the program, has envisaged to create a talent pool of trained drivers from Below Poverty Line (BPL) communities and equip them with the necessary skills to gain employment in the transportation sector.
HMIF and Navjyoti will support the participants to obtain a permanent driving license and the graduating students will be certified by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) post successful completion of training and assessments. This initiative also focuses on facilitating wage employment for a minimum of 70% of the beneficiaries and self-employment opportunities for the rest.
Under the terms of the MoU, HMIF’s ‘Drive4Progress’ initiative will provide training to women interested in pursuing careers as professional drivers through Navjyoti. The comprehensive training program covers essential skills such as safe driving practices, soft skills, customer service, vehicle maintenance, and road safety in their respective regional languages. Upon successful completion of the 45-day training, 250 skilled women drivers will be eligible for employment opportunities within BluSmart’s dynamic workforce. This collaboration marks a significant step towards promoting gender inclusivity and empowerment in the transportation industry, while reaffirming the shared vision of promoting gender equality, economic empowerment and social inclusion.
