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Tag: Skill Development

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CSR

Retail Industry CSR and Women Empowerment- An Inclusive India

Retail CSR and Women empowerment, a new wave of change for rural women in India

We all know the magic of retail therapy. It has been scientifically proven that retail therapy often improves mood; 62% of people feel an improved mood after shopping for something. But, the retail industry has much more power than this.

Globally, the retail industry is worth approx. $31310.6 billion in 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5%. India’s retail industry is considered to be the 4th largest retail sector in the world and is estimated to become a $2 Tn by 2032 with a growth at 25% CAGR. Looking at the magnitude of the retail industry, it is important to note that as much as this sector helps its consumers to live a comfortable life, this industry is also considered as a reservoir of Corporate Social Responsibility, because of its close relationship with the society.

Therefore, in this light, let’s explore how the retail industry CSR and women empowerment can blend in for giving underserved women of India an opportunity to become financially independent and live a life with dignity. 

Opportunities for Female Entrepreneurs in India

There is no denying that India’s business landscape has seen a surge of Indian businesswomen who are walking shoulder to shoulder when it comes to leading magnanimous business empires just like their male counterparts. India has between 13.5 to 15.7 million women-owned businesses, creating direct employment for 22 to 27 million people. With targeted initiatives, this could grow to 31.5 million businesses by 2030, boosting direct employment by 50 to 60 million.

However, the availability of opportunities for rural women businesses in India are still limited, as constraints like lack of education, lack of resources and business support from banks, no access to digital literacy and financial literacy still fog the path for these women to enter the mainstream female entrepreneurship in India. 

SDG 5: Retail Industry CSR and Women’s Empowerment

The current scenario of the retail industry seems to be promising as many international and domestic brands are focusing on expanding their operations in India. Brand like Swedish furniture giant IKEA plans to invest INR 850 crore (US$ 102.41 million) in expanding its Indian operations, while H&M will introduce its home décor line through its website and Myntra next month. UAE-based Lulu Group is investing INR 2,000 crore (US$ 240.96 million) in a new mall near Ahmedabad.

Additionally, Reliance Industries is poised to sell an 8-10% stake in Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd to fund further expansion and prepare for an IPO. 

As the industry evolves, strategically aligning retail CSR and women empowerment initiatives to foster an inclusive framework will enable rural women in India to access opportunities for learning, earning, and thriving.

But how?

  • By investing in vocational training

Vocational training for the underserved communities is no more just an option, but a requirement that must be collectively supported by government, corporates and social organisations. Investing in vocational training for women and young girls, such as skills in tailoring and garment manufacturing, can provide a significant boost to their prospects. Such training not only equips them with the expertise needed to start their own businesses or secure employment but also fosters sustainable futures for themselves and their communities. By offering these opportunities, retail CSR initiatives can help create pathways to economic independence and community development.

  • By supporting small retail businesses 

When it comes to skills and talent, rural India has been considered as a reservoir and all they await is an opportunity, a platform where they can showcase their skills and earn a sustainable livelihood. Retail CSR programs can play a transformative role by providing these businesses with essential support and oversight. This includes training in business management, strategic logistics and implementation practices. Such support enables these businesses to expand, create additional job opportunities for women, and contribute to the local economy.

By investing in these areas, retailers can help build a robust ecosystem where women are not only integrated into the workforce but are also celebrated for their entrepreneurial contributions, thereby contributing to economic growth and gender equality in their communities.

  • By promoting workshops of digital and financial literacy

By organising targeted training programmes and workshops, retailers can teach women essential skills such as managing finances online, making secure transactions and using digital tools effectively. Providing access to technology, including computers and smartphones, is another crucial step, as it helps bridge the digital divide and ensures women in underserved areas can engage with the digital economy.

Additionally, partnerships with financial institutions can offer workshops on budgeting, saving and understanding credit, facilitating access to tailored financial products and services.

Support for women entrepreneurs is equally vital and with CSR programmes partnered with social development organisations like Smile Foundation, the retail industry can offer specific training on e-commerce, digital marketing and financial management.

Furthermore, the Retail CSR activities can also provide mentorship programnes that connect women with experienced professionals and provide valuable advice and networking opportunities, while awareness campaigns can highlight the importance of these skills.

Smile Foundation: Retail Industry CSR and Women Empowerment

Smile Foundation’s programme Swabhiman is well tailored to support retail CSR initiatives to integrate women into the retail ecosystem through proper skill training and business job opportunities that further enhances their practical experience, boosting their confidence and financial independence. 

Over the past two decades, we have been committed to grassroots development across India through our Lifecycle Approach. This comprehensive strategy ensures that women and their communities benefit from quality education, vocational training, and access to healthcare, enabling them to overcome generational economic deprivation and achieve sustainable progress.

Partnering with Smile Foundation offers CSR initiatives the opportunity to not only support women’s empowerment but also to challenge and transform entrenched beliefs about women’s capabilities. We are dedicated to holistic national development, recognising that isolated efforts can only achieve so much. By collaborating through CSR partnerships, we can align with private organisations combined with government initiatives, accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, and making India more developed in the coming years.

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Livelihood

CSR in India for Skill Development of the Youth

CSR Activities and Skill Development in India
CSR Activities and Skill Development in India

Why Skill Development?

The employment rate in India, where over 12 million individuals join the labour market each year, is currently battling to increase. Unsurprisingly, the urban poor had the worst time recovering from pandemic-related hardships. The recent budget is also a hat-tip to the growing issue of urban educated unemployment.

The development of skills is an essential tool for empowering today’s youngsters and securing their future. However, a sizable majority of young Indians lack vocational education– next to essential for securing a good job.

The education system in India is making efforts to adequately adapt itself to the demands of the labour market. Nobody wants the youth to struggle to find employment opportunities. As of now, not a big portion of students—educated or not—have the necessary work skills. To close the gap, skill growth might be quite useful in this situation.

Developing Skills for Socio-economic Growth: The Role of CSR Activities

The activities and engagement of the younger generation are emphasised in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was introduced by the United Nations in 2016 with the aim of advancing the global development agenda through 2030 and beyond. Consider India, where more than 62% of the population is of working age and more than 54% of the population is under 25. 

You might view it as a problem, an opening or a demographic benefit. A competent workforce is most desirable for the general socioeconomic growth of the nation. This is why vocational education should be provided to the workforce in order to turn this difficulty into an opportunity.

Government schools and other institutions geared toward students from lower-income households need more resources to adequately prepare graduates for life after school. This is due to frequently antiquated infrastructure, a lack of teaching-learning resources and a shortage of teachers.

This is where businesses, through CSR partnerships with nonprofits, can work with the government to create an atmosphere where kids can learn by introducing educational materials, scholarships, mentorships and vocational aid. These interventions will significantly strengthen the groundwork needed for students to be successful in the workforce.

Initiatives Undertaken by the Government of India

The Indian government has taken a number of steps to encourage skill development, such as Skill India, also known as the National Skills Development Mission of India. It was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July 2015 and aimed to train over 30 crore people in India in various skills by the year 2022. The government has taught nearly 10 million young people under its flagship Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) programme.

The Role of CSR in India through Skills Development

Given the enormous job of reaching the livelihood goal and preserving the mission’s quality and sustainability, both private and public sector businesses have enough opportunities to participate and influence through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.

Investment by industries in worker skill development creates a compelling business case since it is clear that they play a critical role in driving the long-term economic growth of the nation. 

By fostering a competitive and skilled labour market and advancing industries’ social responsibility goals, this investment benefits all parties. Additionally, from an ethical standpoint, enterprises need to build the capacity of human resources in a sustainable manner.

In addition, the business sector has a variety of tools and a great ability to impact the ecosystem of skill development. The efforts of skill development needs doubling up by the resources, infrastructure, equipment and knowledge that businesses have. They have seasoned workers whose expertise and understanding are very crucial for this purpose. 

Why should Corporates lead the Vocational Education of the Indian Youth?

The industries are most suited to transmit information and skills to the next generation of workers. Furthermore, who is better able to comprehend the skills gap and the requirement for a certain skill set for the industrial sector than the companies? 

Companies are aware of shifting market demands. They are one of the first to spot any emerging or rapidly expanding industry with the potential to create jobs. Their aptitude for creativity contributes to the expansion of the skilling sphere.

By participating in programmes that promote skill development, the corporate sector may gain a number of strategic advantages. The CSR agendas of companies are effectively accomplished when their efforts to enhance the skills of at-risk youngsters have a positive, long-lasting influence on the communities. 

The Market in India

The availability of competent labour makes it simple for businesses to boost production and efficiency while lowering operating costs. Young people may be retrained and upskilled to help businesses prepare for the future.

The corporate sector has a great opportunity to participate in and contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. Leading organisations and specialists in sustainable development, therefore, pursue businesses to contribute to the achievement of these global objectives. In this sustainable strategy, skill development is accorded the appropriate emphasis.

Skill development is listed in Schedule VII, which outlines the components of a company’s CSR programme that must comply with Section 135 of the Companies Act 2013’s statutory CSR requirements. Additionally, several of the other required tasks included in this Schedule have a direct or indirect relationship to skilling.

Do note that a significant number of businesses have recently given skill development top priority as part of their CSR strategy.

How the Corporate Sector can Help Through CSR in India?

The goal of skill development should be given CSR capital to make it more strategic and meaningful. To support the skilling effort, corporate organisations with CSR agendas should be open to working with the government, academic institutions, NGOs and training providers.

  • Corporate entities involved in CSR efforts should do a baseline study of the socioeconomic landscape of the areas in which they operate through their NGO partner(s). It must include an understanding of the talent profiles of the areas in terms of supply and demand. This makes it possible to pinpoint any skill gaps that exist and create programmes for their filling.
  • By providing training according to their needs through NGOs, large corporations may help start-up personnel reach their full potential. An increasing number of startups in India are catalysts for both social and economic advancement.
  • Companies by skilling the youth will be able to update the skills of their future workers involved in their supply chain. Without a doubt, the principal business benefits from this in terms of productivity and service quality.
  • Employers should make advantage of their capacity to identify future-oriented skill sets. Such new sectors can be found by evaluating both technological advancements and difficulties like, climate change, the water issue, the energy crisis, etc. 

What More To Do?

  • On one hand, Corporate organisations should take the lead in teaching these modern skills to job-seekers, start-up business owners and seasoned workers alike.
  • On the other hand, it’s important to resurrect outdated and conventional skill sets. Rural artisans suffering from poverty should get financial assistance, training in value-added production, and market connections through programmes of CSR in India.
  • Companies may establish Centers of Excellence (CoE) in the fields in which they excel. The CoE needs to serve as a training facility for trainers who would undergo ToT programmes. They should urge their own staff to serve as subject matter experts.
  • Companies can develop new facilities and upgrade existing ones for young people in rural and suburban regions. Why? To get training and capacity building via the use of CSR funds.
  • New types and degrees of skills are required by technological development and knowledge-based economies. Companies may work with academic institutions, research organisations, and governmental agencies to develop specialised programs for these skill areas.
  • To promote successful training and skill transfer to the following generations, industry experts should share their knowledge, skills, and experience via organisational platforms such as Industrial Training Institutes, Vocational Training Centers, etc.
  • Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) account for more than two-thirds of all occupations, yet their employees virtually never get the chance to advance their skill sets. Big businesses can assume the duty of raising the skill level of this sizable group of employees so that they can work more effectively.

Major Takeaways Related CSR in India

In order to reduce the skill divide, the corporate sector may play a significant role in fostering more inclusive skill development initiatives. The importance of providing chances for persons with disabilities (PwDs) needs emphasis in addition to enhancing accessibility for women and other underrepresented groups.

It is widely acknowledged that skill development plays a greater role in nation-building as a CSR activity. Corporates in India need to take advantage of skills given the discrepancy between current and desired skill levels. 

Given the existence of a sizable pool of youthful talent, India has the potential to become the world’s skill capital. This talent must be translated into a means of creating a prosperous economy. Long-term results from continued efforts in the field of CSR skilling would eventually shift the game for society and the nation.

Smile Foundation and CSR In India: A Natural Alignment 

Smile Foundation realises that our big size of the youthful population can be turned into the biggest asset of the nation. Enough resources need direction and thoughtful utilisation toward their vocational education.

Through our STeP or the Smile Twin e-Learning initiative, we want to skill the youth dynamically and is hoping for long-term CSR collaborations to greatly expand the scope of its livelihood work. Contact us here!

Categories
Skill Development

Smile works as a Livelihood NGO too

Smile works as a Livelihood NGO too
Smile works as a Livelihood NGO too

When founded by a group of friends in 2002, who would have given a thought that Smile Foundation would help over 56,500 youth from backward communities across the country to get job opportunities in various sectors. We have collaborated with various industrial giants to ensure that job opportunities reach the marginalised.  

Founded with a vision to bring comprehensive and sustainable changes in the lives of the underserved, Smile Foundation has evolved as a livelihood NGO over a period of time. Their constant work towards enhancing the economic well-being and socio-economic status of people through various interventions has helped them to attain the title. This evolution has taken place in addition to their immense contribution in the fields of education, health and women empowerment. What sets the foundation apart is their integrated approach, which focuses on long-term upliftment strategies.  

What is the youth lacking to get jobs?

If one is well-aware of the country’s demographic dividend window, expected to last until the mid-2050s, they will know that breaking the cycle of inequality is not a cake walk. To connect the unemployed youth and the job providers, one needs to conduct studies at grass-roots levels and understand the missing pieces. The missing piece here is the lack of requisite qualifications and adequate training.

To bridge the gap, we mobilise the community to understand their willingness and then enrols them in the training courses of their choice of our livelihood initiative STeP (Smile Twin e-Learning Programme). Post-training, which lasts about four to six months, provides them with hands-on training to prepare them for workplace challenges and career guidance. Our role just doesn’t end there. We believe in going the last mile to give back to society by tying up with numerous companies and offering placement support. In most cases, we also provide post-placement support.

Our phenomenal partnerships steering our efforts

The livelihood initiative of Smile Foundation has over 74 skilling centers and has conducted over 800 career counseling and industry exposure sessions. Partnering with more than 400 giants from various industries, including the insurance, banking, and hospital sectors. Some of their employment partners are ICICI Lombard, BLK Super Specialty Hospital, HDFC Financial Services, HDFC Life, Venkateshwar Hospital, Fortis Hospital, and Apollo Pharmacy, we focus on driving down the unemployment rates in the country too.

Not just that, we have also partnered with several industry experts, including the Wadhwani Foundation, the NIIT Foundation and Tata Strive, to provide effective upskilling and vocational training. With the knowledge and resources they have acquired from their partners, the livelihood NGO has been constantly upgrading its curriculum in core employability skills, banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), and digital marketing. 

The partnership is indeed valuable to the trainees. For, it helps them understand the industry requirements and equip themselves with the skills in demand. Through such collaborations, we have facilitated job placements for trained candidates in companies like Quess Corp., Better Place and Teamlease. The foundation has trained over 90,000 youths till date, of whom over 56,500 have acquired job offers.

For instance, the livelihood NGO joined hands with Berger Paints in 2021 to support one of their upskilled training programmes – iTrain on Wheels – that is aimed at enhancing the skills of painters. In the year 2023, about 94,333 painters were trained at over 100 remote sites in 24 states through 19 iTrain vans. The programme not only concentrates on bestowing emerging painters with contemporary painting techniques but also focuses on existing painters to increase their employment opportunities.

Not just that, we have also collaborated with Amazon to create 21st century learning labs. The labs come in handy while providing hands-on training to trainees.

Recent skilling partnerships – Our work as a livelihood NGO

Our collaboration with the charitable wing of the Flipkart Group – the Flipkart Foundation – in 2023 will ensure that the trainees of Smile Twin e-Learning Programme (STeP) centers in Bengaluru will get adequate industry-oriented employability skills.

The foundation has also been empowering women to become skilled and financially independent through their women empowerment programme – Swabhiman. Under this programme, we provide entrepreneurship and skill development training to help women understand and implement the financial management, marketing and communication techniques required to scale up their businesses. Over 1000 women and adolescent girls were trained as change agents and about 54 women-led businesses and small enterprises were set up.

Transformation of women into decision-makers

The success stories that constantly emerge from the livelihood programmes of the foundation are testimonies to our impact on the ground. For instance, take the story of a young mother, Yashoda, from Karnataka. Her once-peaceful life turned bitter during the COVID-19 pandemic when her husband lost his job. Determined to fight the odds, she joined the NGO’s entrepreneur development training programme. Today, she, along with like-minded women from her community, has become a businesswoman who produces handmade organic cosmetics like kajal, bathing powder and tooth powder, among others. Now, she is not just financially stable but also wants to expand her business.

The story of Ritu is not very different. Caught in the vicious circle of poverty, Ritu’s life had become even more miserable when her father lost his job during the pandemic. Though she desired to study further, her family situation did not allow it. But she did not let her world end there. She had taken up core employability training under the STeP programme, she is now working at a retail clothing chain in New Delhi with expertise in fast fashion, including clothing, accessories and shoes.

The stories just don’t end here. For, the livelihood NGO has been pulling all the strings to create a visible and long-term impact on the livelihood of many more in the years to come. We invite corporates to join us in our skilling mission and provide training to the youth so that India becomes more than a progressive nation.

Mail us at: [email protected]

Categories
Skill Development

World Youth Skills Day: Vocational Skills leads to Employability

Livelihood Skill Development Training

Young and full of spirit, the youth of a nation holds the power to take the country to newer heights of development and therefore, celebrating the potential of the youth along with the commitment to invest in their development, this World Youth Skills Day 2024 marks a special moment for the developing country like India.

As the world’s fifth-largest youth population, India has made significant strides in advancing youth development initiatives to achieve holistic empowerment. These efforts are designed to unlock the potential of our youth, ensuring their pivotal role in both personal growth and the comprehensive development of the nation.

Loop of Challenges

According to the ASER report, Indian youth in numerous rural regions continue to encounter significant challenges in accessing employment opportunities. These obstacles stem from various factors that hinder their holistic development –

1. Low Proficiency in Basic Skills

The report indicates that a significant percentage of Indian youth lack proficiency in basic reading and mathematical skills appropriate for their age level. This gap in foundational skills hinders their ability to grasp higher-level concepts and impacts overall educational attainment.

2. Regional Disparities

ASER 2023 underscores regional disparities in learning outcomes, with rural areas typically exhibiting lower levels of learning achievement compared to urban counterparts. This disparity highlights unequal access to quality education and resources across different regions of India.

3. Unemployment and Underemployment issues

One of the longest and overly concerning issues is unemployment and underemployment in India. Recent studies show that in rural areas, unemployment rates have increased. In June 2024, the rate climbed to 9.3% from 6.3% in May 2024 and 8.8% in June 2023. For men in rural areas, the rate rose to 8.2% in June 2024 from 5.4% in May. For women, it increased to 17.1% from 12.0% during the same period.

Furthermore, underemployment is also rising with each passing day, as it has been observed that India’s overall underemployment rate was 62.28, indicating a moderate level of underemployment in the economy. In urban areas, the underemployment rate was 63.95, and in rural areas, it was 61.73. For females, the underemployment rate was 59.81, while for males, it was 62.50.

4. Skills mismatch between education and industry requirements

Over the years, India’s educational system has evolved, yet it has struggled to align with the rapidly evolving job market. Today, emerging unconventional roles require specific skill sets that our educational institutions largely overlook. This gap between education and employability leaves many youth, particularly in underserved communities in India, feeling unprepared for modern job opportunities. They often lack the technical skills demanded by the current Indian market, posing a significant barrier to their employment prospects and overall socio-economic advancement.

5. Social and economic exclusion of marginalised youth

If one thinks that casteism isn’t any more part of the Indian fabric, then they haven’t looked closely enough. Be it in urban or rural areas, many young people still have to face social and economic discrimination. Exclusion from educational opportunities, job markets and essential services like healthcare and social support networks perpetuates economic exclusion leading them to live a vicious cycle of generational poverty.

Skill development programme for youth – India’s Approach

As India strives to become a $5 Trillion economy, we must include youth empowerment as one of our focus areas, so that with strategic planning modern-day youth development programs can be aligned with the demand of the current ecosystem that shall enhance their skills, personality and financial future. 

The World Youth Skills Day highlights the critical role of vocational skills in empowering youth, particularly underserved populations in India. The Indian Government’s National Youth Policy emphasises holistic development and sustainability. Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it focuses on key areas such as quality education, reducing inequalities, promoting decent work and fostering economic growth.

The policy aims to enhance participation in sports and update school curriculum to be more modern and comprehensive. It also encourages teaching financial, legal and digital skills.

Mental health support and involving youth in policy-making are integral components, making NYP 2021 more inclusive than previous policies.

Additionally, it focuses on societal development, recognising the youth’s role in Indian workforce for overall progress and advancement. The NYP 2023 advocates for access to quality vocational training because it not only enhances employability, but also promotes sustainable development by aligning youth capabilities with evolving market demands. It bridges the skills gap, enabling young people to contribute effectively to their communities and the economy.

Steering the Indian youth development on the lines of the National Youth Policy 2023 is a silver lining for the future of underserved youth. By empowering them with vocational skills, they get a chance to achieve sustainable development. It enables them to secure meaningful employment, break the cycle of poverty and uplift their families and communities. Not only this, through the right implementation of the policy, India can achieve national welfare as it shall create an ecosystem that promotes innovation, productivity and inclusive growth. 

Taking Indian Youth Forward with Skill India Mission

To implement the vision of the National Youth Policy effectively, the Skill India Mission promotes the empirical training of an array of vocational skills so that the youth are equipped with the necessary skills as required by the new industry demands. 

With curriculum-based skill training courses, the Skill India Mission enables trainees to acquire certifications and endorsements from industry-recognized learning centres. The mission also included integrating skill-based learning into school curricula, thereby creating opportunities for both long-term and short-term skill training and employment.

STeP & World Youth Skills Day 2024

Inspired by the vision of the Indian Government for Youth Development, Smile Foundation’s STeP (Smile Twin e-Learning Programme), has been working on fostering youth development across India, particularly in underserved communities, to achieve our dream of a developed India.

The STeP aims to empower youth by imparting them with market-relevant vocational skills and enhancing their employability. Through structured training modules in sectors like Retail, BFSI, Digital Marketing, Hospitality, and Healthcare, STeP equips participants with both technical expertise and essential soft skills crucial for professional success.

The programme’s impact extends beyond skill development, facilitating job placements that uplift youth economically and contribute positively to their families’ livelihoods. By bridging the gap between education and employment, STeP not only addresses youth unemployment but also nurtures a generation of self-reliant individuals capable of integrating into the mainstream workforce.

This World Youth Skills Day, Smile Foundation emphasises to meticulously push forward sustainability and inclusive growth for the youth through the STeP programme so that a skilled workforce can be cultivated that drives socio-economic progress across diverse regions of India. Through its holistic approach, STeP annually empowers thousands of youth, catalysing positive change within communities and paving the way for a brighter future.

Categories
Livelihood

Inclusive Skill Development: India and Differently-abled Livelihood

Inclusive Skill Development: India and Livelihood for its Differently-abled
Inclusive Skill Development: India and Livelihood for its Differently-abled

“Development can only be sustainable when it is equitable, inclusive and

accessible for all. Persons with disabilities need therefore to be included at

all stages of development processes, from inception to monitoring and evaluation.”

Ban Ki Moon

The Context

People who are differently abled perceive the world quite differently from those without them. Their experiences, joys, difficulties, and more might find similar patterns with others but it would be true to say here that their journey toward independent living is filled with difficulties unimaginable for most of us. What can we do in such a case? Enrollments in online skill development courses are one way to go about it.

We can support them while they build their own bridges to get where they want to be. Sometimes, being a fully supporting character in someone’s life is more than enough.

What does Disability mean in India?

The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act was approved by the Indian government in 1995. According to the Act, a person who qualifies as “disabled” has at least a 40% handicap, as determined by a medical authority. Such a person is also called PwD, a Person with Disability.

Additionally, there are various frameworks that are now utilised in India to describe and define disability. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was ratified by the Indian government.

In October 2007, (UNCRPD), according to Article 1 of the Convention, “Persons with disabilities include individuals who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments that, when combined with other factors, may prevent them from fully and effectively participating in society on an equal basis with others.”

As a result, disability is not viewed as a distinct medical illness but rather as the result of interactions between a person’s health and their environment in general.

In India, there were over 22 million people with disabilities, which is about 2.13 percent of the population, according to the Census of 2012. This encompasses those who have physical, mental, or communicative difficulties. Nevertheless, the 2009 World Bank Report estimates that there are about 6% of disabled people in India. To top it off, the World Health Organization estimates that 10% of the population is affected. 

Disability is a complicated phenomenon, making it difficult to precisely estimate its prevalence through a national survey. Given these difficulties, it is not unexpected that there is disagreement over the best ways to quantify handicaps, leading to a range of numbers.

Value Proposition of Including People with Disabilities in the Workforce

Despite having a sizable population, PwDs are rarely regarded as the nation-state’s productive human resource. National states sometimes disregard the relationship between disability and poverty, which creates a vicious cycle in which people with disabilities and their families are more likely to be poor than the general population because they have fewer opportunities to earn money and higher expenditures.

The talent, hard work, and potential of PwDs in India are mostly unrealized, underutilized, or underdeveloped. Additionally, the employment and education rates for people with disabilities are significantly lower than those of other people.

PwDs are one of the poorest populations in India since there are fewer options for them to make money and more expenditures to cover. Even though work prospects have risen over the past 20 years and India’s GDP grows by an average of 6.3% percent, the employment rate for people with disabilities actually decreased.

Many not-for-profit organisations working in tandem with the rising needs of the Government of India and the nation, have been trying to skill the Indian youth from underprivileged sections to prepare them better for employment opportunities, and online skill development courses are high on their agenda.

Suggestions for the Private Sector

So how can the private sector rise up and make their workplace more diverse and representative of different communities?

According to the PwD Act 1995, the Government of India will provide incentives to the public and commercial sectors to encourage the hiring of people with disabilities. However despite the incentive program’s passage, 13 the outcomes need major improvements.

To evaluate current incentive programmes and develop new ones that will encourage the hiring of handicapped people in the commercial sector, the private sector’s engagement, in especially the business world, requires considerably more creativity and should ideally go beyond simple incentives like tax breaks and Provident Fund payments, etc. 

Creating accessibility in the workplace, and providing assistive technology, gadgets, personal attendants, etc. are just a few examples of improvements and concessions that might be made to the workplace to support and promote employment for PwDs.

It’s a great idea to hold private meetings with corporations and business groups, together with an executive decision-maker, to discuss how they might help PwDs have a better quality of life. Create a composite livelihood plan as a pilot project, and appoint an impartial committee to oversee it. The committee should have suitable representation from PwDs, business entities, the government, and civil society.

Some Points for Urban Livelihoods, Self Employment and Entrepreneurship

A good starting point would be to Include the interests and needs of the differently-abled as a vulnerable group in new or current poverty reduction programmes to provide chances for livelihood (wage and self-employment) for those living in urban areas, particularly slums and from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Also, create incentive programmes (such as exemptions from sales tax, VAT, excise tax, and service tax) for disabled business owners, companies that employ more than 50% of disabled people, and companies that produce assistive technology or gadgets for people with disabilities.

Points for Rural Livelihoods

Under major government initiatives, like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) which already includes provisions for PwDs, disability-specific sub-programmes might be launched. Disability audits should be conducted on a regular basis to make sure the programme is effective for the handicapped community. These will highlight the creases and assist in determining the best tactics for ironing them out.

Additionally, campaigns may be launched to raise awareness of the rights granted to the disabled under the programme.

In order to guarantee that the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) is inclusive with a provision for reasonable accommodations/adjustments, there should also be an extra focus on vulnerable groups like women with disabilities, etc., ensuring that 3% of the target population benefits from the scheme, and have regular reviews undertaken to determine the impact of the programme on the livelihood patterns of PwDs.

Conclusion

There are many young girls and boys who are differently-abled and can do a lot better in their professional careers and lives overall if provided the much-needed support like giving them an environment to learn new and old things 360 degrees. Online skill development courses with their advancements, especially after the pandemic, can work wonders for them too.

India indeed has a lot of work to do for the upliftment of the differently-abled.

The differently-abled must educate themselves on the newest technology of the day if they want to live a full life– a life filled with love, care, respect, dignity, and contentment. The job market’s increasing need for these abilities can keep them in demand and help them integrate into society.

Smile Foundation and Inclusive Livelihood

Smile Foundation through its livelihood programme, STeP (Smile Twin e-Learning Programme) is employing all its human and technical resources towards skilling the Indian youth from lower-income families for better employment opportunities.

Inclusive skill development is the programme’s next logical step towards broadening the scope of our livelihood-related work. Become an active agent for the nation’s economic progress aligning your CSR activities with our livelihood programme. Learn more here!

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