Karnataka’s differently-abled demand jobs for empowerment

BANGALORE - On the occasion of World Disability Day Thursday, persons with disabilities in Karnataka asked the state government to implement the three percent reservation of jobs in all government departments to “empower the disabled population”.

“The Disability Act of 1996 has been completely ignored by Karnataka government,” P.K. Paul, disabled rights activist and founder and executive Trustee of Indian Disability League (IDL), told IANS.

“In order to empower the disabled population, job opportunities are a must. Government should identify jobs for persons with disabilities, train them and employ them,” he said on the occasion of World Disability Day Thursday.

The Disability Act of 1996 makes it mandatory for all government departments to reserve three percent of jobs for persons with disabilities.

Karnataka’s Directorate of Welfare of Disabled and Senior Citizens states that there are around 300 persons with disabilities who are employed in various government departments in the state.

According 2001 census, Karnataka has one million persons with disabilities, out of total population of around 60 million. Of the one million, around 400,000 are visually challenged.

M. Srinivas, chief executive officer of National Association for the Blind (NAB), Karnataka branch, said: “First the government needs to provide free education, training according to their skills and then employment opportunities for disabled people to empower them in true sense.

“Poverty and illiteracy are twin problems of majority of disabled population in Karnataka,” he said.

According to Srinivas “only 50 percent of Karnataka’s disabled population is literate. More than half the disabled reside in villages in abject penury and have no access to any medical facilities.”

Chirag P., who has completed Bachelor of Arts (B.A. degree) in spite of being affected by polio when he was a two-year old, dreams of working in the Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) sector.

“But I never got a chance to learn computers. I have done my graduation, but due to lack of proper technical skills, I am working as an office boy in a private company. Government needs to provide us adequate training to excel in life,” Chirag, a resident of Bangalore, said.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa speaking at a function to mark the day in Bangalore said his government was committed to implementing the job reservation for the disabled.

India is home to 60 million disabled people. Out of them 48 percent are visually impaired, 28 percent movement impaired, 14 percent mentally disabled and 10 percent hearing and speech impaired, according to a recent report titled “People with Disabilities in India: From Commitments to Outcomes”, prepared by World Bank in collaboration with Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, India.