5) Description of initiative: There are some 70 million population of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in India. So even at the lowest estimate disabled people could be considered the Nation’s largest majority. In the developing economy discrimination against the disabled is too obvious to be stated. In access to all kind of public services such as medical health, education, employment and in access to environment almost everywhere they are discriminated. Sometimes overt and sometimes covert. Traditionally the family was encouraged to support them in fulfilling their basic necessity for their survival. However with the bewildering rapidity of economic liberalization and urbanization. PWDs are further marginalized finding themselves totally bemused according to a report of Comptroller and Auditor General 2003-04, in 1998 less than 2% of PWDs were helped by the special employment exchanges to have an access to employment. According to a research study of NCPEDP of leading 100 corporate, 0.9% of their workforce of PWDs. Thus the members of the family and relatives can no longer be relied upon to bear the burden of PWDs throughout their lives. Navprerna, a registered voluntary organisation since its inception has been striving to bridge the gap between disabled and their families through creating employment opportunities for PWDs. Since 2005 we have been working to set up a corporate of disabled and their family members of spice processing unit. This would transform the status of PWDs from tax consumer, employee to tax payer and employer. The involvement of PWDs in procurement processing and marketing would enhance their visibility motivating their families, neighbours and society to view them as normal human being. This would restore the innate dignity of PWDs as first and the foremost human being than disabled. Once the experiment can succeed it can be replicated to other cities, towns and villages and expanded to other FMCGS.

6) Description of innovation: In India, PWDs traditionally have been seen in the public eyes on the sides of religious places as beggars since the onset of economic liberalization there has been the corporate perception that educated PWDs can be provided employment by MNCs. However we have proved that unskilled and semi skilled PWDs can also be employed by the small and medium industries where the sole motto is profit. This initiative would prove that people with cross disabilities can work successfully on the industrial lines. This would massively create employment opportunities for PWDs in the furthest remote areas. We believe that in Northern Region of India there is not a single unit where the maximum workforce is of disabled. This would also motivate the industrial houses to see the business prepositions providing employment avenues to PWDs. This would also bridge the conflict between disabled and their families and they can also be seen as economic player in the market economy.

7) Delivery model: Since 2005, we have created employment opportunities for 36 PWDs in this industry. 6 of them have been engaged in procurement, packaging, and processing and rest others have been working as sales executives in their respective villages. The finished products are delivered in various villages from where the PWDs and their families collect them for further sale we intend that with the Ashoka support we shall increase the number to 150. One more machine of higher production would be installed. So far 36 PWDs from 10 villages have been working successfully for almost 2 years. Now it would be expanded to another 50 villages leading to direct employment and more than 100 PWDs and approximately 50 of their family members would gain employment. This would be further replicated over a period of time.

8) Key operational partnerships: we are working for the formation of inclusive society where disability is not ashamed off, thus, for the success of this model, so far our partners have been the industries, social clubs, roadside hotels and the consumers particularly the housewives living in the apartment and villages of Ghaziabad. Our partnership with all of them is of equal significance.

9) Financial model: so far, 5 PWDs are working at the management level and rest others are being paid incentives. However we intend that this should take a shape of cooperative where the majority of the members is PWDs. We hope that over a period of time it would take a shape of one of the largest cooperatives with the turnover in millions and its members sharing the profit equally

          • Costs as percentage of income: 40%

          • Financing: So far we have survived with the initial support of $1000 from the social clubs of Ghaziabad. Since then we have been growing months after months. At the end of our first year, we had a turnover of Rs1, 80, 000. We believe that by end of this financial year our growth will double. With the one time support of Ashoka, we would be able to sustain ourselves without any other further support as our model is employment opportunity.

10) Effectiveness

          • Project outcomes: For last 2 years we have supported 113 PWDs to gain employment in industry. Through this venture 36 PWDs have been earning Rs.1000-1500 per month. This has forged a civil right movement in Ghaziabad leading to building the gap between how PWDs view themselves and how the administration insist of seeing them. Some of the parents of these people have initiated the process for the marriages of their disabled ward. There have also been a substantial increase in the participation of PWDs in social occasions. This has considerably reduced the discrimination between the PWDs and their siblings,

          • Number of clients in past year: More than 1000 people benefitted indirectly through our awareness programs. 36 PWDs have been earning Rs.1000-1500 per month.

11) Scaling up strategy

          • Stage of the initiative: Start Up stage.

          • Expansion plan: We have received the AGMARK registration license for producing this processed spices. We intend to expand ourselves at least in another 6 cities by the end of next 3 years. We would also start our website for the sale of our product. Once we are successful in 6 cities we would thereafter initiate the process of replication at the National level. We believe that we would create employment opportunities for at least 600 people in next 3 years.

12) Origin of the initiative: After graduating in social work from Delhi School of Social Work, I with my visual disability face enormous difficulties getting employment in the development sector. At that point of time, I had decided that I would dedicate my life on creating employment opportunities for PWDs. Since then I worked with various NGOs both in cities and rural areas. I realized that unemployment is rampant among the PWDs. Even the quality of vocational training was not up to the mark of industry. This was sowing the seeds of frustration and discontentment amongst them. The developmental agencies were also showing pity to its PWD employees, this further motivated me to setup a Civil Society Organiation where there is a participation of PWDs at all levels. Since the birth of this org. we have worked on their entitlement and employment in the Small and Medium Enterprises. We have also learnt that seeing is believing i.e. whenever an industrialist saw a PWD working with another industry he was motivated to hire PWDs in his own unit. This has given birth to the spice processing unit on the corporate line largely manned and managed by PWDs.

Contact Information:
Baldev  Gulati
Executive director
Nav Prerna vikas samiti
(NGO)
C-35, Meerut Road Industrial Area, Ghaziabad
India
Tel: 09811720845, 09311551158, 09313551158
Email: baldevgulati71@hotmail.com
Website: none