Ministry of Labour and Employment

Activities undertaken for Disability Sector

Employment Exchanges

The Employment Service has been continued making efforts to cater to the special needs of job-seekers persons with disabilities. Thirty Eight Special Cells have been set up in the normal Employment Exchanges for promoting employment of handicapped persons by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. These are in addition to the Special Cells/Units opened for the handicapped applicants at the Employment Exchanges by various State Governments.

Special Employment Exchanges for Physically Handicapped

Although, Employment Exchanges under the National Employment Service are generally responsible for the placement of Physically Handicapped, Special Employment Exchanges were also set up for their selective placement. These Special Employment Exchanges attempt at securing for the disabled the most satisfying form of employment suitable to their residual physical and mental potentialities. 43 Special Employment Exchanges (as on December 2005) are functioning in the country.

In pursuance of the recommendations of the Working Group on Employment Service and the Task Force on the reorganization of Special Employment Exchanges, it was decided to set up Special Cells in the Employment Exchanges for promoting employment of the handicapped.

Thirty eight special cells for the physically handicapped with a Special Placement Officer attached to the normal Employment Exchanges are funded by the Central Government have so far been set up by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. These are in addition to the Special Cells/Units opened for the handicapped applicants at the Employment Exchanges by various State Governments.

Vocational Rehabilitation Centres for Handicapped

Twenty Vocational Rehabilitation Centers for handicapped (VRCs) have been functioning in the country, one each at Ahmedabad, Agartala, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Channai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Kanpur, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Patna, Thiruvananthapuram, Vadodara, Una, Puducherry and Srinagar.  Out of these, VRC at Vadodara has been set up exclusively for women. Three centers, one each at Una, Puducherry and Srinagar sanctioned in 2005-06. These Centers evaluate the residual capacities of the people with disabilities and provide them adjustment training and skill training with a view to integrate them in the economic mainstream and make them productive citizen of the country. They also assisted in obtaining other suitable rehabilitation services, such as job placement, training for self employment and in plant training.

Seven Skill Training Workshops (STWs) have also been set up at the VRCs to facilitate speedy rehabilitation of the handicapped. Non-formal job-oriented skill training is provided at these centers.  Rehabilitation Services are also provided to the handicapped living in the rural areas through Mobile camps and Rural Rehabilitation Extension Centers.

Assistance to Disabled Ex-servicemen and Dependents

In order to provide placement service to the disabled ex-servicemen/Border Security Force Personnel and the dependants of defense service personnel/Border Security Force personnel killed or severely disabled in action, against the vacancies reserved for ex-servicemen and earmarked for priority categories, an Ex-servicemen Cell was set up in the Directorate General of Employment and Training in July, 1972. Subsequently, the scope of the special services was also extended for the benefit of ex-servicemen disabled during peace-time as well as dependants of the defense service personnel killed or severely disabled in peace time provided that the death or disability attributable to military service with effect from February, 1981.