Amazon India on Wednesday signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities (DePwD) to engage with employable youth with a disability.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which spans through March 2024, aims to provide skilling and job opportunities to tens of thousands of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) across the country through Job fairs.
The tripartite agreement between the DePwD, Skill Council for Persons with Disability (SCPwD), and Amazon focus on skilling, certification, and entrepreneurship with the goal of uniquely enabling and positioning PwD participation in mainstream society.
This is in line with the PMO's vision of inclusive development and self-reliance to build an Atmanirbhar Bharath.
Through this project, the company intends to provide persons with disabilities with the necessary assistance, training, and intervention by fostering an environment of acceptance and inclusion, as well as approaching their skilling experience with a sensitive attitude, according to Amazon.
Union minister of social justice and empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar said, "This initiative will empower and create a brighter future for People with Disabilities. The private sector’s empathy and participation will assist in providing more job and entrepreneurship opportunities,"
"The social and financial empowerment of PWDs is extremely important in realising the Prime Minister’s vision for a self-reliant nation. I welcome Amazon India’s initiative towards building a more inclusive workforce,” he added.
Akhil Saxena, vice president of customer fulfillment at Amazon, said, "At Amazon India, we foster a culture that is conducive to growth and offers people equal opportunities to unlock their full potential. Persons with Disability in India face many challenges when looking to develop employable skills and in gaining meaningful employment."
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"With this project, we aim to focus on skilling and livelihood-oriented empowerment for PwDs, over a period of 12 to 24 months. This complements our existing programs to provide direct employment opportunities to under-represented cohorts," Saxena added.
Further, the corporation inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sarthak Educational Trust (SET) for a unique grant of 25 million INR to reduce the skill gap in employable young PwDs through a state-of-the-art Global Resource Center (GRC).
The funding will be used to assist Sarthak Global Resource Centre's to support its effort toward mainstream disability by establishing a centre of excellence for employment and vocational training, Amazon informed.
In addition to this emphasis on skilling PwDs, Amazon conducts a variety of initiatives for varied underrepresented cohorts, including women, military veterans, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, it said in a statement.
The firm pioneered the 'Silent Delivery Station' in Mumbai in January 2017 through the Delivery Service Partner programme, where the station is handled by persons with speech and hearing impairment.
Further, Amazon has efforts in place to promote opportunities for people with hearing impairments at its operational sites.
The trial began in 2017 with a small group of colleagues with speech and hearing impairments being taught to pack shipments at the Amazon fulfillment centre.
First Published: Sept 28, 2022 11:21 PM IST
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