The Hindu Business Line : Arunim gives business tag to sheltered workshops

For the economic empowerment of people with disability, the Government-run National Trust is arming them with skill-sets to help them earn a livelihood. The Trust has also formed a marketing federation, Arunim, to transform sheltered workshops into small business enterprises.

And to give it the adequate corporate thrust, Ms Sminu Jindal, Managing Director, Jindal SAW, has been appointed as Chairperson of the federation.

Arunim (Association for Rehabilitation Under National Trust Initiative of Marketing) will work with NGOs across the country to develop skills, improve product quality made in sheltered workshops besides marketing the products in retail chains.

Enhancing skill sets

“Disability is a human rights issue and when we talk of equal opportunity it must also involve people with disability. Hence, enhancing the skill sets of people with disability is a critical. People with disability have come with a clarion call — teach me skills and do not treat my ills,” said Ms Poonam Natarajan, Chairperson, National Trust. Set up by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the Trust looks into the welfare of persons with autism, cerebral palsy and mental retardation.

Facilitate earning

Most NGOs that run sheltered workshops thought of it only as place to keep people with disability engaged. It was never considered as a place to earn a living. Arunim has been formed to facilitate this,” she said, adding that the federation will be inaugurated on September 22 by the former President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

According to the census of 2001, at least 22 million people suffer from disability of some form or the other. Disabled people with mental health problems have the lowest employment rates of all impairment

Arunim has been set up with a corpus of Rs 1 crore provided by the National Trust.

Mr Atul Prasad, Joint Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, National Trust said, “So far the approach has never been scientific in sheltered workshop. We are developing strategies to identify marketable products produced at these sheltered homes. Besides branding products under the Arunim brand name, designers have been roped from design institutes like NID (Ahmedabad) to bring in changes in product quality.”

Some of the marketable products that have been identified include paper bags, leaf plates, spices and also home adornment items. The federation would also provide training and is in talks with several institutions to impart training to people with complex disability.

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