Bengaluru to host a job fair for the elders to enable them to earn, post retirement

BENGALURU: For 60-year-old S Emily, life isn't easy. Unable to continue with her higher studies due to financial constraints, she worked as an office assistant at a city school with a minimal salary. After retirement, she has to take care of her husband and her savings are dwindling. "I don't have children to look after and I desperately need a job to sustain and fetch money to look after my week husband who is unable to work anymore," she said. The condition is no different for 64-year-old Mahalingam M, retired police personnel who gets a post retirement pension worth Rs 8,000. He said, "8,000 bucks aren't enough to live a comfortable life in a costly city like Bengaluru at this age. I want a job to stay active and save some money for any unforeseen expenses in future." To enable these needy senior citizens to seek a job opportunity, a Job Fair will be organized on October 10, by a city NGO, working towards the betterment of the seniors in the city. Nightingale Empowerment Foundation (NEF) has taken the initiative called, Nightingales Jobs 60+, to train and promote employment opportunities for the elders who are in dire need of a job to support their life and medical expenses after their retirement. "We have 33 small scale, socially conscious companies who have come up to help the elders and extend a job offer to them. The job roles will be appointed depending on the state of their health. We have trained all of them in computer and soft skills and have made them efficient and suitable enough for a role in these companies," said Radha S. Murthy, Trustee of Nightingales Medical Trust. She added, "We have given employment to over 1,000 senior citizens before and this time we expect more and more companies to join us, recruit the seniors and help them to earn their living with dignity." -TOI