Private organisations, corporates should develop fund to support disables: Athawale

While the government is doing its bit to empower the persons with disabilities under the Accessible India Campaign, the private sector should also develop a fund to help such people gain sustainable employment or become entrepreneurs, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale said at an ASSOCHAM event held in New Delhi on Tuesday.

"Though private enterprises and the industry undertake different initiatives as part of corporate social responsibility, they should also work towards helping persons with disabilities and develop a special fund for their skill development," said Athawale while inaugurating an ASSOCHAM Conference on Empowering Persons with Disabilities.

He also said that it is the responsibility of both the government and the corporate sector to work in tandem to help and support people with disabilities by providing them vocational training to become self sufficient as they too are a part of the society.

He also said that reservation in vacancies in government jobs which had been enhanced from three to four percent in The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill - 2016, should be implemented in every sector.

"My Ministry is trying to ensure that all departments have four per cent disabled workers and they should also be imparted skill training to help them start their own business," he said.

On the occasion the Union Minister also released an ASSOCHAM-CBM India Trust joint study titled 'Mainstreaming through affordable ICT.'

The study stressed upon the need for development of affordable, effective and readily available information, communication technologies (ICTs) and assistive technologies in order to further empower the specially-abled people for creating an inclusive and power society.