By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : Peeved at the tardy progress of a welfare programme, Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said government will aggressively pursue the budgetary announcement and ensure employment of one lakh disabled people during the financial year.
“I apologise for failure of the scheme,” he said while pointing out that the scheme, which sought to provide fiscal incentives for employment of disabled people, was yet to take off though it was notified more than six months ago. (One Lakh: 100,000)
Under the scheme, for which even a budgetary allocation of over Rs 1,800 crore was made, the government would pay the employers’ contribution towards provident fund and ESI scheme for each of disabled employees. (One Crore: ten million)
Though the scheme became operational on April 1, 2008, the Finance Minister said, “not one employer has made a claim under EPFO or ESIC”.
Despite the scheme not taking off even after six months, the Finance Minister expressed his continued commitment saying “under the scheme, I resolve that within remaining six months, one lakh disabled people will be enrolled in the scheme”.
Chidambaram was speaking at a national conference on Engaging Industry in Employment of Persons with Disabilities at Ficci here.
Participants from corporate world highlighted their contribution towards the cause. Shell India, ITC Ltd, Genpact, Gitanjali Gems and Laser Soft System said they recruit differently-abled people and have special provisions for them.
Also, they added, the attrition rate among differently-abled people was the lowest.