The fourth edition of Divya Kaushal, a ‘National Job Fair and HR Conclave’, organised exclusively for Divyangjan or People with Disabilities (PwD) by Saksham Tamil Nadu and Inclusive Divyangjan Entrepreneur Association (IDEA) India was conducted here on Wednesday.
The two-day flagship event was organised for the first time in south India and in a tier two city providing a platform to the aspiring differently abled to connect with potential employers. The event was supported by The Hans Foundation and Rural India Support Trust, USA.

The employers short-listed 40 confirmed candidates, and 120 temporary confirmations,” said B. Vineet, programme manager, IDEA.

On the concluding day of the event on Thursday, employers will issue appointment orders and the temporarily shortlisted candidates will receive notice by next week, according to the organisers.

“Out of 35 companies that were hiring, six companies connected virtually and 29 in-house companies were present,” said Mr. Vineet.

“Localisation is very important for the differently abled and giving them a job within 15 to 20 kms radius is viable”, he added.

Around 400 job seekers attended the fair with around 200 spot registrations made. Out of which, 52 per cent were visually impaired, 27 per cent had locomotive disability, nine per cent were speech and hearing impaired and the remaining included other categories of disabilities like muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy etc.

Around 50 per cent of local employers from Madurai were willing to employ them irrespective of their disability, provided they possess the required skills, said Mr. Vineet.

“A combination of companies from various sectors like the food industry, schools and educational institutions were present at the fair,” said Kamakshi Swaminathan, National vice president of Saksham.

Registrations were mostly from differently abled belonging to Madurai, and from Dindigul, Theni, Tirunelveli and Sivaganga. There were some even from Hyderabad and Vellore.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/job-fair-for-differently-abled/article65275232.ece