Hundreds of disabled individuals who had been working for the Kerala government and then discharged took to the streets to protest. Around 300 individuals blocked the road in front of the Secretariat building in Thiruvananthapuram starting from Monday.

The group was made of disabled individuals who were working in the government in temporary basis and then removed from the posts, Times of India reported.

The protestors said that they will continue the indefinite strike until their demands are heard by the government. Their demands include permanent posts in government service and a positive response from the state government.

“The previous government had created supernumerary posts for all disabled persons who worked temporarily till 2003. The living conditions of everyone gathered here are very bad. That’s why we have decided to stay here day and night till we get a positive response from the government. We are only expecting jobs which we are eligible for. The protesters includes people who worked in temporary positions from sweeper to school teacher,” Nizam M, secretary of the association of protestors told TOI..

Disabled individuals often face greater socio-economic challenges as the private sector often chooses to not hire disabled individuals or doesn’t provide equal access or remuneration to them if they are hired.

India has an estimated three crore individuals suffering from various disabilities and nearly half of them are employable. But despite the fact, only 34 lakh individuals are employed, according to a 2021 report from market intelligence firm UnearthInsight.

“Technology and retail are leading the way in skilling and creating employment opportunities for the PwD (People with Disabilities) talent pool. The organised retail sector employs over 13,000 PwD professionals whereas over 8,000 PwD professionals are employed by the technology sector,” the report said.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)

First Published:Jun 28, 2022 5:36 PM IST