Improving the employment of people with disability (PWD) has emerged as a key priority for governments worldwide as a strategy for improving health outcomes through greater economic participation. However, a significant barrier remains the lack of understanding among businesses regarding the requirements for a disability-inclusive workplace. This challenge is particularly salient for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that lack dedicated human resources to develop supportive organisational cultures.
With the aim of providing jobs to persons with disabilities (PwDs), Goa State Industries Association (GSIA) stated that it has identified 24 job roles across various sectors, of which around ten have been opened and six PwDs have been employed.
The six PwDs have been employed by Indus Cama, Mahavir Plastics, Surekleen and Jayashri Polymers.
Goa State Industries Association said it plans to extend its collaboration across its more than 500 members in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector.
The rest of the jobs are in the pipeline, said Anirudh Dempo, GSIA President adding that further efforts are on to increase employment opportunities.
The GSIA is keen on creating industrial employment opportunities for PwDs and assured of its support during a recent meeting held between various industry bodies across various sectors and Guruprasad Pawaskar, state commissioner for PwDs and Taha Idrees Haaziq, Secretary.
“Opportunities and challenges on either side of the spectrum were studied leading to a detailed analysis for 24 job roles across sectors. Out of these, about 10 job roles were opened and six PwDs were employed,” GSIA said.
Stating that mobility of PwDs from their residences to the industrial areas through accessible transport remains one of the biggest challenges for their employment, GSIA said that its efforts can have a broader impact if this and some other minor issues can be smoothed out through government aid.
