* Reeta Devi, 20, of Handia, Allahabad, is six months pregnant. Her husband of a year is physically handicapped.
* Nafisa Bano, 43, of Tundla, has a Masters degree in History. Her husband has now been ill for a long time.
* Renu Singh, 22, of Rae Bareli, losther parents in an accident. She now has the responsibility of bringing up her younger siblings.

On Thursday, all three women sprinted 200 metres carrying 25 kg loads on their heads. Those who finished the run in under four minutes were cleared to compete in the next stage of the entrance examination to become railway porters.

“I was married to Udai Pratap a year ago. This is my first baby,” says Reeta. Her face is flushed from the exertion, she is panting a little after completing the test.

Reeta and Udai have no land of their own. Udai, poor and disabled, has a small shop in their village near Allahabad, but it can’t sustain the family. With their baby on the way, Reeta decided she needed to add to the family’s income doing whatever she could.

Last year, the Railway Board issued guidelines that women could be licensed to be porters if they met specified eligibility criteria. North Central Railway (NCR) has now announced 344 vacancies in the Allahabad division. Physical endurance tests have been on at the DSA Ground here since July 20.

Reeta, Nafisa and Renu were among 19 women who turned up for the test on Thursday. Seventeen of them attempted to run the 200 m qualifying distance carrying 25 kg sacks on their heads. The qualifying time was 4 minutes, a minute more than what it was for male applicants.

... contd.