Agreement signed: Self-employment scheme on the cards for differently abled people

Project will provide training, internships and interest-free loans

LAHORE: Punjab Social Protection Authority (PSPA) and Punjab Small Industries Corporation (PSIC) on Friday signed an agreement pertaining to launch of self-employment and income generation scheme for people with disabilities (PWDs).

Under this scheme, to be launched within the next two months, the two sides agreed to joining hands for creating an viable environment for the economic uplift of PWDs through provision of internships, interest-free loans and imparting skills. All the people with disabilities, who have prior skills training, will be entitled to receive interest-free loans for setting up their own businesses under the scheme.

Chaired by Punjab Finance Minister Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha, the signing ceremony was attended by PSPA CEO Dr Sohail Anwar and PSIC Managing Director Bilal Butt. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Aisha commented that PWDs were more likely to be unemployed and generally earned less even when employed.

She said that it was difficult for PWDs to escape from the clutches of poverty due to discrimination in employment opportunities, limited access to transport, and lack of access to resources to promote self-employment and livelihood activities. It was for this reason, she added, the government was taking concrete steps for rehabilitation of PWDs. The scheme was earlier approved by the PSPA board in its sixth quarterly meeting held on November 16, 2016.

PSIC would develop a training module and arrange orientation sessions for the PWDs benefitting from the loan. Three to four weeks internship/entrepreneurial skill training sessions would be arranged for the Punjab Khidmat Card beneficiaries so that they might utilise interest-free loan optimally.

PSPA CEO Dr Sohail Anwar said that PSPA would provide funds while PSIC would execute the scheme in close liaison with each other. The PSPA would provide Rs250 million for loan disbursement to PWDs. An effective M&E framework would be developed for impact assessment of the intended objectives.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2017.