NEW DELHI: According to the 2011 Census, India is home to nearly 2.7 crore differently-abled individuals. Disability, more often than not, is associated with inadequacy and negative stereotypes. In a relentless fight against these notions, Powerlinks Transmission, a joint venture of Tata Power and Power Grid Corporation of India, has undertaken several inclusivity initiatives.
Recognising these efforts, the National Abilympics Association of India (NAAI) bestowed the company with ‘Catalyst of Change’ award second time in a row at the 6th National Conference on Disability.
Under its Daksh programme, to ensure financial independence of the differently-abled youth, Powerlinks Transmission designed a vocational skills training program in collaboration with Sarthak Education Trust in 2016. The three month training program includes various modules to prepare trainees for employment opportunities in sectors such as Retail, IT, Hospitality, Banking, E-Commerce etc.
In last three years, the company has trained over 750 students and presented opportunities to be placed at companies such as Flipkart, Amazon India, Croma, Reliance Fresh, Holiday Inn, Hilton Hotel and KFC among others.
Yogesh Luthra, CEO & ED, Powerlinks Transmission Ltd, said, “We have always strived to nurture the productive talent of the differently-abled individuals. By providing them opportunities to acquire and enhance their vocational skills, we have helped them achieve economic independence. We are honoured to be recognised by NAAI for our efforts to empower them and would like to thank Sarthak Education Trust for helping us create an inclusive environment.”
The company was felicitated in the presence of Dr Jeetendra Agarwal, Secretary General – NAAI, Dr M.B. Athreya, a Padma Bhushan awardee and Edgard D Kagan, Deputy Chief of Mission at Embassy of The United States of America.
With the theme of “Voice, Choice and Control – Pathway to Disability Inclusive Development, the 3-day conference aimed at exploring prospects and strategies to create a supportive environment for people with disabilities (PwDs).
