http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article1079312.ece
The Hindu BANGALORE, January 11, 2011 IT companies urged to employ persons with disabilities Special Correspondent Literate persons can be employed in BPOs, ITES, says Yeddyurappa Calling for change: Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, Higher Education Minister V.S. Acharya, educationist M.K. Sridhar and sportsperson Malathi Holla inaugurate the national conference on ‘IT for persons with disabilities' in Bangalore on Monday. — Photo: K. Gopinathan Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has called upon Information Technology (IT) companies to provide employment to persons with disabilities as part of their corporate social responsibility. Speaking at the inaugural function of the national conference on ‘IT for persons with disabilities', organised by the Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology, and Science & Technology, here on Monday, Mr. Yeddyurappa said that the law mandated reservation of 3 per cent jobs in the Government sector for persons with disabilities. Though no such provision existed in the private sector, the IT sector was capable of providing employment to persons with disabilities who were literate, he said. Fifty-two per cent of persons with disabilities were literate, according to the 2001 Census. The IT sector could fruitfully employ such persons in Business Process Outsourcing units (BPO), Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) and for software development and technical writing. He cited the example of companies such as IBM, Wipro and Microsoft, which were employing persons with disabilities. Of the 7 lakh jobs expected to be created as part of the deals signed during the recent Global Investors Meet in Bangalore, as many as 3 lakh were in the IT sector. Mr. Yeddyurappa expressed optimism over the creation of another 4 million jobs through the proposed Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) near Devanahalli. He also called upon IT companies to make their workplaces disabled-friendly. Higher Education Minister V.S. Acharya, who also holds additional charge of IT and BT Department, lamented that precious little had been done for the benefit of persons with disabilities. Neither had they been provided job opportunities nor had a “barrier-free” environment been created for their benefit, he said. He reiterated the Chief Minister's appeal to the private sector to provide employment to persons with disabilities. Executive Director of Karnataka Knowledge Commission M.K. Sridhar, who delivered the keynote address, emphasised the need for companies which employed persons with disabilities not to view the gesture as “charity” but as their “right”. Out of the 600 million disabled persons worldwide, as much as 80 per cent lived in developing countries, he said. Website launched Earlier, Mr. Acharya launched a website, www.itforpwd.com, which seeks to provide a platform for leveraging the benefits of IT tools to help integrate persons with disabilities into the mainstream. Mr. Yeddyurappa felicitated Charudatta Yadav, who developed the world's chess software with speech, Naveed Aslam Hagalvadi, an IT personality, and Pavithra Y.S., who runs a BPO employing only disabled persons. Sportsperson Malathi Holla and Principal Secretary to the Department of IT, BT and Science & Technology Ashok Kumar C. Manoli were present. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Precious little has been done for the benefit of persons with disabilities: Acharya ‘View gesture of employing persons with disabilities not as charity but as their right' -- With Regards Pradeep T.S Email: [email protected] Mobile: 9845925188 Skype: pradeepsocialwork
