Skill India organizes exclusive Job Fair and Ability Expo for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs)

As a part of Skill India Mission, NSDC organized an exclusive job fair “Divya Kaushal Rozgar Mela” to connect Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) with suitable job roles and potential employers. The event was also aimed at exposing the PwDs to opportunities for self-employment and entrepreneurship. More than PwDs and approximately 50 companies have participated in the national job fair.

Several specially-abled people participated on day one of Divya Kaushal Rozgar Mela held at Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences, Dwarka, New Delhi. Organized by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) in collaboration with Inclusive Divyangjan Entrepreneur Association (IDEA), the two-day National Job Fair & Ability Expo is providing a platform to the aspiring persons with disabilities (PWDs) to interact with potential employers and learn more about employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.

The event is an important step towards inclusive growth and development of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), or divyangjans, in society, as it provides them with opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment. The skilled Divyangjans would get access to the job in the industry of their interest and explore relevant employment opportunities. The event has been supported by leading associations like Skill Council for Persons with Disability (SCPWD), National Human Rights Commission India (NHRC), Saksham, Bhartiya Vikas Sansthan and more.

NSDC has been working towards creating an inclusive society for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and through its various schemes and programs, it aims to enhance their skills and empower them for better livelihood. DivyaKaushal is a key step in the direction of creating adequate avenues for effective implementation of the skill development program by establishing more and more industry linkages.

• NSDC has established a dedicated Sector Skill Council for Persons with Disabilities to ensure seamless planning and implementation of skill development for PwDs with the commitment of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
• The Rozgar Mela is a suitable platform to enhance their scope of employability to ensure a world that is inclusive, equitable and sustainable for everyone. Besides offering the specially-abled a chance to explore new avenues, the two-day Rozgar Mela will allow organizations to meet potential employees.
• Close to 50 leading companies including Wipro, Zomato, Swiggy, Accenture, Aditya Birla Insurance, LIC, JLL have participated in the event today. Additionally, the expo witnessed participation from physically disabled entrepreneurs like Kunal Chhikara, Founder, Farmer’s Pride.

The Ability Expo had an Entrepreneurship Pavilion led by National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC) that included loan fair, franchisee opportunities, mentorship, Divyangjan entrepreneurship fair and an opportunity for established brands to showcase their work. The loan fair witnessed participation from leading banks like HDFC and SBI amongst others offering loans to divyangjans. The Kaushal Haat pavilion provided opportunities for counselling and skill training for different disability categories. Several case studies of Divyangjan enterprises such as Microsign Industries, corporates provided franchise of their business and outsourcing opportunity for Divyangjan. Seminar and workshops on economic empowerment of Divyangjan were also organised to inspire the youth and industry.

Notable Divyangjan Skill Experts from different fields were felicitated as Kaushalacharyas. Divya Kaushalachrya Awards was given to Mr. George Abraham, Founding Chairman, World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) and Mr. Padam Passi, CEO, All India Cricket Association of Deaf. Divya Guru Awards were given to Dr. K. Sukumar, National Organizing Secretary, Saksham; Lt. Gen. S. M. Mehta, CEO, The Hans Foundation and Dr. Yogesh Dube, Chairman of Bhartiya Vikas Sansthan.

According to census 2011, there are 26.8 million Persons with Disabilities in India, which constitutes 2.21% of our population. These include Persons with Hearing Disability, Locomotor Disability, Visual Disability, Speech Disability, Intellectual Disability, Mental Illness, Multiple Disabilities and other unspecified categories of Disabilities. India is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(UNCRPD) which came into the effect from May 2018. The Government of India has enacted the RPwD act which came into force from 19.04.2017 and is aligned with the spirit of the UNCRDP.