DELC identifies 1,299 job vacancies for PwDs; activists not convinced

CHENNAI: Almost five months into the launch of the Differently Abled Employment and Livelihood Center (DELC), the Department for the Welfare of the Differently Abled identified 1,299 job vacancies for Persons with Disability (PwDs) in the State. Currently, the DELC is working on sensitising the private employers while also ensuring that requirements of PwDs are met at the workplace.

The DELC, besides identifying jobs, also manages to take up upskilling, training and facilitating self-employment opportunities for PwDs. For this, 38 districts have been divided into six zones, and Chennai, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchy, Coimbatore, Salem and Tirunelveli have been assigned as zonal centres.

The key objective of DELC is to facilitate Equal Opportunity Policy (EOP) where every PwD is entailed for employment, both in private and public establishments. Additionally, DELC along with various departments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will work on maximum utilisation of policies and schemes that benefit PwDs.

Speaking to DT Next, Project Manager of DELC, Faheem Sait said, “We started holding meetings with various private establishments from December, 2021. Besides job identification, we have also initiated training or apprenticeship for PwDs with the firm. Also, special schools are informed about the skills required at the workplace.”

“We have profiled skills, interests and qualifications of nearly 3,000 PwDs across the State. And since December, we’ve managed to identify 1,299 jobs across TN. However, feasibility, accessibility and other requirements for PwDs are taken into consideration,” added Sait.

According to official sources, DELC has conducted six meetings with as many as 250 companies at zonal levels. Some of the companies on board are Zoho Corp, Amazon fulfilment centre, TAFE, Rane, The India Shoes, The Chennai Silks and Reliance Digital, among a few others.

Urging for full-time scientific study on jobs for PwDs, disability rights activist Deepaknathan said, “There are over 21 different types of disability. So these 1,299 jobs are for which disability? Or who is the expert in the field who decided that these identified jobs will be suitable for PwDs? The current method is not transparent. There should be scientific, robust and full-time measures.”

Meanwhile, Vaishnavi Jayakumar, a member of the Disability Rights Alliance, added, “Not many PwDs seem to be aware of this programme by the government. Likewise, PwDs are unaware of their rights and employment opportunities.”

“Interestingly, how can a group of persons decide what a PwD can do. The responsibility of the government is to provide access and remove the hurdles for PwDs, ultimately helping them to thrive in the field of their choice,” added Vaishnavi.