The National CSR Award-winning program of Spark Minda enabled 1000 persons with disability

Spark Minda with their special program 'Saksham - Empowerment of Persons with Disability Camp' under the CSR arm of the Group - Spark Minda Foundation, has organized a seven-day 'Empowerment of Persons with Disability Camp' at Chimbali Phata, Pune from December 20th - 26th, 2019. The Group is striving to bring change, however big or small, in the lives of 1000 persons with disabilities this year.

In the past five years, the Group has enabled changes to more than 8000 lives of persons with disabilities. This year, the scope of the program has been expanded and the foundation has tied up with CII (Confederation of Indian Industries) and a job fair was organized to facilitate the employment of persons with different types of disabilities in impaneled companies of CII such as Minda Corporation, Aegis Global, Godrej Agrovet, Sodexo, Sarovar Hotel and Accor Group.

The employment of 118 persons with disabilities was facilitated during the camp. Collaboration has been established with respective Sector Council for Persons with Disability, Government of India for the camp, who facilitated the skill linkages to the aspiring youth. Unique Disability Identification (UDID) desk was also created during the camp, where 162 registrations were done.

One of the main purposes of the camp is to provide assistive devices to persons with locomotive disability by providing end-to-end support in limb fitment, calliper fitment, providing walkers, and elbow crutches, etc. all in the same day. Skilling and employment support and facilitation are also planned for persons with other types of disabilities. These all services were offered free of cost to the beneficiaries.

'Saksham' - A CSR program started in the year 2015 by Spark Minda Group to help Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) have also won National CSR Award 2019 conferred by Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman in the presence of the President of India.

Under Saksham, the Group aims to provide accessible and assistive technology, impart skill training through OJT (On the job training), create inclusive workplace and ergonomics, train them for 5s and life skills, and employ PWDs (Persons with Disability). During the camp, more than 118 persons with a disability were also provided employment linkage and more than 162 persons were facilitated to obtain UDID Card, which is a unique identification of the person with a disability in India to avail related benefits.

"This is indeed a moment of great pride for Spark Minda Group to reach to the Persons with Disability in the rural bends of Maharashtra. He also thanked more than 30 program partners for supporting the camp selflessly", said Ashok Minda, Group CEO.

"Our association with Pune has now been well known and long-established. Starting with putting up a production belt in Yerwada Jail and now setting up the 'Saksham-Divyang Empowerment Center' in Chimbali Phata, we have enabled to provide a sustainable life to the community at a whole. Spark Minda Foundation has been enigmatically working to provide a better life, means, and income support to people who have been left alone in different strides of life. We are proud to say that within a span of seven days we have been able to reach out to more than 1000 people in and around Pune. Jaipur Foot has been an indispensable part of our empowerment of persons with disability camp; we believe such associations are made once in a lifetime with a common aim for the rehabilitation of citizens to the best of their capacities", added Sarika Minda, Chairperson, Spark Minda Foundation.

"I must compliment the efforts of Spark Minda to make the life sustainable for persons with disability", added Chief guest Pradeep Shrivastava, Executive Director, Bajaj Auto Limited.

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