Bhubaneswar: The state department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) has decided to bring the educated physically challenged youths under one umbrella to train them and facilitate their employment and induction into the workforce.
Irked by the low number of applications for government jobs leaving many disability quota seats vacant, the department has planned free coaching, pre-recruitment training, food and lodging for the selected candidates to groom them for the best possible employment opportunities.
“We have seen that at times 40 per cent of the disability quota seats are not filled up. We have now decided to take the deserving candidates under the quota on board and groom them for employment. All the costs for such training and support will be borne by the government,” Niten Chandra, Principal Secretary, SSEPD Department told Orissa POST.
As per the plan, the applicants will be scrutinized as per their qualifications and later they will be admitted at the selected training centre for grooming. It has been decided that the selected candidates will be trained at the National Career Service Centre for the Differently-Abled (NCSCDA).
“The programme is slated to start soon. It will be a three-month programme. Candidates will be given coaching and library facility, mock interviews and group discussion training besides free lodging and food,” said Ram Kishore Sharma, Assistant Director, NCSCDA. He also said that the minimum qualification for application is graduation and the interested candidates can visit the NCSCDA office at Pokhariput in the city for enrolment. Right now 80 are reported to have enrolled for the programme.
The SSEPD department claims that students living with different forms of disability could get an opportunity to get equipped with the required training to apply for and qualify in competitive examinations for civil, banking and other government services. As per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, four per cent reservation is mandated in government jobs for the physically challenged population in the country.
BOX: HELPING HAND
# Educated physically challenged youths can apply for the scheme.
#Under the scheme, free coaching, pre-recruitment training to be given.
#Training will be given by the NCSCDA office based in Pokhariput.
#People living with different forms of disability can apply.
#Designed for grooming candidates for civil services, banking and other exams.
#Govt to bear expenses of training, food and lodging.
