News

Volume 7 Issue 10 - May 15, 2010

Incentive scheme for private sector falls flat, second year in a row!

D.N.I.S. News Network, India: The ‘Scheme of Incentives to Employers in the Private Sector for providing Employment to Persons with Disabilities’ launched with much fanfare in 2008 has till now been able to benefit only 465 people. This scheme was touted to be able to create 100,000 jobs annually for people with disabilities!

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment also seems to be least bothered about tapping the private sector for jobs for people with disabilities. The High Level Monitoring Committee that is supposed to meet atleast once every 3 months, met only twice during the last financial year of 2009-10. The first meeting was on May 5 and the second on October 21.

As per the scheme, the government would reimburse the employers’ contribution to the provident fund for disabled employees earning up to Rs. 25,000 for the first three years. To get this benefit, the employer needs to inform the concerned Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (E.P.F.O.) or Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (E.S.I.C.).

A whopping Rs. 1800 crore was sanctioned for this scheme under the XIth Five Year Plan. The revised estimate for the year 2009-2010 was Rs. 3 crore, out of which Rs. 1 crore was released to E.S.I.C.

This information was unearthed due to a Right to Information (R.T.I.) application filed by N.C.P.E.D.P.