Mumbai, July 08, 2023. Sarthak Educational Trust, committed to empowering persons with disabilities, celebrated its 15th Annual Day in Mumbai on July 7th at the World Trade Center, Mumbai. Based on the theme ‘Innovations for Disability Inclusive Development (InDID)’, a day-long convention was hosted in Mumbai to create awareness on digital solutions and innovations towards inclusive development of PwDs. As per Disability Statistics in India, there are 26.8 million Persons with Disabilities (Census, 2011).
The event was graced by Mr. Mike Hankey - U.S. Consul General, Mumbai, Dr. Praveer Sinha – CEO and MD of Tata Power Company Limited, Dr. Vijay Kalantri, Chairman World Trade Center, Ms. Rupa Naik - Executive Director - World Trade Center, Dr. Jitender Aggarwal – Founder and CEO, Sarthak Educational Trust, Mr. Krishan Kalra – President, NAAI and Former President, AIMA, Mr. Lov Verma – National Advisory Board Member, Mr. Siddhartha Rastogi, Managing Director - Ambit Investment Advisors Pvt Ltd.
The highlight of the event was the launch of Gyan Sarathi, an Ed-Tech platform for Persons with Disability which will empower them to grow professionally and personally. The curriculum is divided in 5 sections- Early Intervention, Skill Development, Inclusive Education, Employment and Changemakers. The online platform is fully WSCG accessibility guidelines compliant and has modules for learners as well as trainers. Gyan Sarathi will be highly beneficial to reach rural and peri-Urban PwDs, as well as urban PwDs to ensure their trainings and enhancing possibilities of employment with corporate hiring partners and self-employment.
Dr. Jitender Aggarwal, Founder and CEO of Sarthak Educational Trust said, "We started with the mission of inclusion and empowerment of PwDs. The groundbreaking Ed-Tech platform Gyan Sarathi aims to revolutionise the education system for the PwD population in the country with the teaching ecosystem it offers. This is a first-of-its-kind learning management solution for the PwDs across the globe. This Edtech solution will benefit not just the PwD populace in the country but also benefit PwDs from developing countries, neighbouring countries as well. Our Vision 2027 includes empowerment of 10 million PwDs across India; sustainable employment & entrepreneurship for 0.2 million skilled youth with disabilities; expanding the CSO partner network under IDEA with 1000 partners; supporting organizations in 50 developing countries; state-of-the-art Global Resource Center in Gurugram and hosting the 11th International Abilympics in India in 2027.”
Since its inception, Sarthak has reached out to more than 2 million people with disabilities and successfully placed 55,000+ PwD candidates in various sectors through its free-of-cost services and programs.
Mr. Mike Hankey, US Consul General, said, “It is a great honour for me to be part of the 15th Anniversary Celebration of Sarthak Educational Trust. 33 Years ago, US introduced the American Disability Act, which has proved a positive first step in inclusivity. India is also gearing up to uphold the primary rights for PwDs, women and marginalized groups. In the coming 15 years, we look forward to normalize the provisions and conditions for Divyangjansby in both US and India.”
The Convention comprised of multiple panel discussions talking about previous achievements of the disability sector and the future roadmap for the next 25 years. Promoting talent through Abilympics; Innovations for Disability inclusive Development: Corporate and Digital Solutions for Disability; Reducing Inequality through CSR, Media & Global Initiatives were the key panel components.
Dr. Praveer Sinha, MD, Tata Power shared, “The association between Tata Power and Sarthak Educational Trust goes a long way. At Tata Power, we believe that a sustainable business model is integral in our transformation journey and with Sarthak we are happy to have a partner with the right vision to execute our interventions for an inclusive society.”
“Inclusion is a journey; it will keep growing each day. Sensitization of all the employees, job mapping, accessible tools, sign language & inclusion training every quarter are some of the measures taken to make an inclusive workplace”, said Manisha Patil- Diversity Equity & Inclusion & Community Engagement Leader, Amazon during the panel - Reducing Inequality through CSR. The panel also addressed WFH opportunities for the disabled, job mapping, sensitization of parents & more.
This year, India won 7 medals in the 10th International Abilympics at Metz, France in vocational skills competitions which are designed for persons with disabilities to showcase their talent. Winners were felicitated at the event as well. Gold Medalist, Chetan Pashilkar shared, "Don't hide your potential & your talent, work hard, explore your potential and come forward".
Sarthak started from a single dental clinic of Dr. Aggarwal in Delhi and today has presence in 20 states with 25 centers pan India.
