Imagine your dream of setting up an enterprise getting shattered because the bank you were counting on for finance, denied you a loan? Or think of yourself as a salaried person, yet unable to build your house, because the bank refused you a housing loan. 

How would you feel? Discouraged, right? This is exactly what Eyeway Helpdesk gets to hear from blind and visually impaired callers across the country. Every day, their banking rights are violated, citing disability as the reason. In addition to being discouraged, they feel humiliated.

24-year-old Munna Upadhyay from Uttar Pradesh wants to set up a garments business. In the past six months, all his running around from one bank to another for a loan has been in vain. Asif Shaikh from Aurangabad is struggling to avail a loan of INR 50, 000 to support his poultry business. His business suffered huge losses due to the recent bird flu. Such examples are sadly a routine for the blind and visually impaired community.

In 1997, the National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC) was formed under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, igniting hope in persons with disabilities (PwDs) about potential livelihood and self-reliance opportunities. But shoddy implementation coupled with constant denial of financial rights, poses serious questions on NHFDC’s objective of empowering PwDs and their inclusion in the mainstream. 

With limited job opportunities for blind people in both the public and private sector, alternatives of self-employment need to be actively explored. At a time when the government is pushing for entrepreneurship under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative, is it not the collective responsibility of the state and all other stakeholders to ensure that visually impaired citizens can also access provisions without any fear of prejudice?

Warm regards,
Team Eyeway