00:01Lakshmi Salvar waits for a moment by the door before she is welcomed into a house in New Delhi
00:07and greeted by her boss for the day. She's one face of the country's newest consumer craze,
00:14on-demand house help for as little as $1 per hour. Though that doesn't sound much,
00:19it can mean annual earnings of up to $5,000, far above the country's average income.
00:25After exchanging details and confirming her identity, the timer starts for Salvar.
00:30Customer Sheetal Dal booked the service through the Pronto app, which promises house help in minutes.
00:36It's very economical, it's very hygienic, and it's safe.
00:40As their police identification is already done. This is instant help, and you don't have to wait
00:46for anything. You can schedule it also. And I think it is good to go with whatever you're
00:52comfortable with. You can get help according to your convenience.
01:01In Gurugram, a group of women preparing to be house workers under Pronto are shown how to wash dishes.
01:08Senior trainer Balbir Singh says workers are thoroughly prepared.
01:12In practical, we are teaching them, so how you have to groom yourself, how you have to clean the
01:17washrooms, how you have to do the ironing, how you have to do the preparation of kitchens.
01:25So these are all covered in Pronto.
01:28Pronto aims to supply workers to homes in about 10 minutes, and it doesn't have the new boom all
01:33to itself. Rivals include Urban Company, which says it had about 50,000 daily bookings in February.
01:40It estimates India's cleaning services market is worth about $9 billion a year. Growth is boosted by
01:47the country's tradition of outsourcing household work, though safety is a concern. As a business
01:52that mainly employs women, some fear the workers could be at risk in strange homes. But Pronto says
01:58it has safety systems in place, including self-defense training for workers. And Salvar says she isn't worried.
02:06We get a lot of respect. We get a good salary. There are incentives. Our safety is also ensured.
02:14There's an SOS button on the app through which we can directly contact the customer service
02:19for our safety. We have been given rights, and the salary is good. We have good and friendly managers
02:27and trainers who teach us well. We don't feel like needs while working. We are called professionals.
02:34professionals. This makes us feel proud. It feels good.
02:38So it's a little proud feeling. It looks good.
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