STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Indus Towers Ltd and Shishu Sarothi felicitated 46 students with disabilities from Assam for receiving a scholarship under the Indus Towers Scholarship Program at NEDFi Convention Centre today. This scholarship is a CSR initiative of Indus Towers Ltd., being implemented by Shishu Sarothi.
Indus Towers, in its seventh year of partnership with Shishu Sarothi for the said scholarship program, is offering scholarships to 180 students in 2022-23 across India towards academics/professional and coaching for employment-oriented examinations. One hundered and sixty-two of the students are from the Northeast with the reservation of 18 slots for students with disabilities from outside the Northeast but studying in government-recognized institutions of national importance in the region.
Ketaki Bardalai, Executive Director, Shishu Sarothi, gave a background of the education scenario of children with disabilities. Stating the recent figures released by WHO that mention that 16 per cent of the world population are people living with disabilities, she shared that children with disabilities rarely progress beyond primary school and only 9 per cent complete secondary education. Forty-five per cent of people with disabilities are illiterate, and about 62.9 per cent of people with disabilities between 3 and 35 years have never attended regular school in India. She expressed her deep appreciation to Indus Towers for supporting the education of youth with disabilities, which is like a key to opening doors for employment opportunities and empowerment of people with disabilities. She also extended her thanks to Enable India for coming on board, to provide career counselling, which is a critical input to orient students to take the right decisions in making their career choices.
Speaking at the occasion, Rajender Gurung, Circle CEO, NE Assam, Indus Towers said, "At Indus, CSR is an integral part of how we do business, and our CSR partnership with Shishu Sarothi for the last seven years, to serve Northeast India, is a matter of pride and fulfilment for us. We remain committed."
Subhas Das, the chairperson of the Shishu Sarothi governing body, congratulated the scholars and asked them to take up the given opportunities, and make the most of the scholarship. He commended the seamless implementation of the scholarship program and thanked Indus Towers for supporting the education of people with disabilities, as a part of their CSR initiative.
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