Bhubaneswar: The state government has initiated steps to empower disabled persons with skills, acumen and entitlements, so that they can be employed to eventually become economically stable.

"We are ensuring that the corporate world recruits more disabled persons with suitable job roles, as they are the untapped potential human resources with equal footing employable skills," said Niten Chandra, secretary of the state's social security and empowerment of persons with disabilities department.

He said that for recruiting the disabled persons, the employer's contribution towards the ESI and the EPF for five years would be borne by the state government, according to provision of the Industrial Policy Resolution, 2015. He also said the national and state awards for best employers would also be given.

Department director Mansi Nimbhal said that according to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, at least five per cent of the workforce of private sector was composed of persons with benchmark disability.

"To achieve this, a lot needs to be done by the private sector to ensure this favou-rable policy environment is transmitted to benefit the disabled persons," she said.

She also said the department had initiated skill development trainings for the disabled, including the pre-recruitment coaching, utilising their talent, making them independent - which is possible with support of the employers, parents and stakeholders.

The pre-recruitment coa-ching for the Odisha Teacher's Eligibility Test for the disabled has started at the National Career Service Centre for Differently-abled at Gandamunda. Coaching will be provided for other national and state-level examinations.

A workshop was recently hosted at the centre, where students, corporate members and the state government took part to increase their recruitments in the private sector.

Future Group human resource manager Subhadeep De said the firm had taken a policy decision that in every Big Bazaar stores at least two disabled would be engaged.

Ginger Hotels manager Shantanu Dash said four Persons with Speech and Hearing Impaired were recruited in Bhubaneswar recently and more would be inducted shortly.