BENGALURU: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Disability NGO Alliance (DNA) at the ‘Engage Ability’ conference here on Friday. The alliance will provide a broad umbrella for aid and activities for the disabled.
The tie-up, the first of its kind in the country, will create an ecosystem for all the stakeholders, including the government, industry bodies and NGOs, to work together to address the challenges faced by people with disabilities.
Lov Verma, secretary to the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Government of India, said, “The MoU will act as a beacon of light for the rest of the country. It is an agreement based on scientific systems that promise to give measurable results.”
He called on the industry and NGOs to partner with the government in its ambitious plan to make 30 cities disabled-friendly by 2016 under the ‘Accessible India’ campaign.
Highlighting some of the schemes launched by the Centre for the disabled, Verma said the government is planning to give out universal ID cards for the disabled that will be recognised across the country. Identification of persons with disabilities is now under way. He added that under the national action plan for skill training of persons with disabilities, the government plans to provide job-oriented training to one lakh people in the next one year.
Aroon Raman, convener of CII’s CSR panel, called the MoU a new chapter in the relationship between the industry and NGOs. He said most corporates are reluctant to employ disabled people due to lack of knowledge, fear of accidents and uncertainty. This alliance will train the corporate world and allay their concerns, he added.