What is the issue?
- With the recent Jan Dhan Yojana initiative, most of the households now have a bank account.
- However a range of unfavourable factors continue to restrict financial inclusion of certain sections of society, especially the differently abled.
What is the status of differently abled?
- Disability refers to an individual who lacks abilities to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.
- The country has about 2.7 Crore people categorised as Persons with Disability (PwD).
- This mainly comprises of people with blindness, low vision, hearing impairment, locomotor disability, mental challenges and mental illness.
- Those with locomotor disability account for the largest share (20%) amongst the differently abled followed by those with visual and hearing disability.
- Nearly 69% of PwDs stay in rural areas.
- Only 1/3rd of this differently abled population are working out of which 31% are in agriculture.
- ILO claimed that around 75% of PwDs in India are still outside the workforce.
- PwDs account for only 0.5% of total workforce in the organised sector.
How can inclusion be achieved?
- Factors such as lack of awareness, poverty, low income, illiteracy, unemployment and inadequate branch network continue to restrict financial inclusion of certain sections.
- Majority of the financial services including banks do not take a favourable approach in providing financial support to the differently abled.
- Design and Technology - Banking services should be made accessible for the nearly 3 Crore special needs population.
- The RBI guidelines to banks in this regard include directions -
- to provide cheque books, ATM and locker facilities to the visually challenged.
- to provide for ramp facilities and tactile keypad at ATMs.
- to not deny services on grounds of possible risk in operation of banking facilities .
- International practices - Multiple formats of information like audio output, braille documents, larger font size, larger screens, images with text description, low tables, specialised, and privacy standards during banking operation can be adopted.
- Assistance - In view of the diversity in the issues faced as well as types of disabilities, including the elderly people, a multi-spectral approach to ensure financial inclusion is required.
- Government needs to consider providing financial assistance and assistive equipment to PwDs and their families to meet out various expenses.
- Employment - Government can also consider incentivising private sector to encourage recruitment of PwDs.
- Training the service providers, including banks and sensitising the general population of the special needs of PwDs so as to bridge the cultural gap in employing them would be beneficial.
- Governments and welfare-oriented institutions should share the responsibility of providing the differently abled a dignified life.
Source: BusinessLine
