Odisha: Corporates urged to employ more PwDs

BHUBANESWAR: Secretary in the Department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Niten Chandra urged the corporate world to recruit more Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) with suitable job roles.Speaking at a workshop on ‘Diversity and Inclusion’, Chandra said the PwDs are the untapped potential human resource with equal employable skills and they need to be treated at par. “The State Government is putting efforts to the best of its ability to empower PwDs with appropriate skills, acumen and entitlements so that they can be productive economically by engaging themselves in self-employment,” he said. 

For recruiting PwDs, Secretary, SSEPD Department said the employer’s contribution towards ESI and EPF for five years will be borne by the State Government as per the provision in Industrial Policy Resolution, 2015. The workshop was jointly organised by Dr Reddy’s Foundation in association with the National Career Service Centre for Differently Abled (NCSCDA), Bhubaneswar, Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, Skill Council for PwDs (SCPwD) and Department of SSEPD.

SSEPD Department Director Manasi Nimbhal said the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 emphasises that at least five per cent of the work force in private sector should comprise persons with benchmark disability. “In order to achieve this, a lot needs to be done by the private companies to ensure that the favourable policy environment is transmitted to benefit PwDs. We have been imparting various skill development training, including pre-recruitment coaching to PwDs to utilise their talent,” she added.
Assistant Director (Employment) of NCSCDA Ram Kishor Sharma assured to extend all possible support to employers, who wish to recruit PwDs, through special recruitment, placement drives or inclusive job fairs. 

Five employers - GINGER Hotels, Reliance Industries (Retail) Ltd, KARVY Data Management Services Pvt Ltd, Future Group (Big Bazaar) and Computer LAB Pvt Ltd were felicitated for recruiting PwDs and engaging them with diversified roles in the industry.