Employ disabled-friendly: FM to Industry

New Delhi, Oct 18: Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has asked the domestic industry to show its humanitarian side and employ the physically challenged people.

Chidambaram was speaking to reporters after addressing a national conference on 'Engaging Industry in Employment of Persons with Disabilities' organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) here on Friday, Oct 17. The government had earmarked Rs. 1800 crores in the budget for current fiscal and announced incentives for employers who give regular employment to differently-abled persons, including social security cover. hidambaram said even top notch industrialists were unaware of the incentives.

"A large number of people have told me, including P M Sinha who heads Bata, that he has no idea of such a scheme until a week ago. That's a failure on the part of the government. A scheme that government announced has not reached even a gentleman like P M Sinha. So, now FICCI has been roped in," he said.

He added, "I hope that FICCI will help us hold similar meetings in other places. In fact when I say 8.6 per cent, I think I was wrong if you count the pension also to that part it works out to roughly 12 per cent of the salaries being picked up under the scheme. If the employees come to know of the scheme and if they are employing disabled people they will surely claim under the scheme. The fact that not a single claim has come is a measure of our failure. So we will do our very best to make this a success in the remaining five-and-a-half months."

The union government has plans to give regular employment to 100, 000 physically challenged led people by enthusing industrialists through incentives.

ANI