A group of 25 visually-challenged persons of various parts of the district have been economically empowered after undergoing skill training.
They are now on the payrolls of a private company in the city, earning between Rs. 4,500 and Rs. 5,000 a month.
They employ electrically-operated machinery to make various engineering components at the Organisation for the Blind in Tiruchi (ORBIT). The youths in the age group 18-30 underwent training under the ‘Youth Skill Training’ imparted by the Mahalir Thittam from June to August this year. “Prior to the training, we could not even think of getting employment.
We fully utilised the opportunity as the ORBIT assured immediate placement,” said T. Vadivel of Thuvakudimalai and D. Chinnathambi of Lalgudi.
The components would go into the making of boilers made by the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, said I. Raja Mohamed, Manager of ORBIT.
Even during the training period, their performance was up to the expectations of BHEL and hence all of them were recruited on September 1, a day after completing the training, he added.
He said the trainees were skilled in making the stands needed for solar panels.
This is the first batch of visually-challenged persons in the State to undergo training although the Youth Skill Training programme aims at benefiting normal men and women.
“Mahalir Thittam had trained 2,785 youths — including these 25 employees of ORBIT — at an expenditure of Rs. 1.72 crore on various vocations such as beautician course, fitter, welder, mechanism, masonry, and culinary science,” said R. Komahan, Project Officer, Mahalir Thittam. The district administration granted special permission to form a group of visually-challenged persons.
P. Arivazhagan, Assistant Project Officer (Skill and Placement), said the infrastructure available at ORBIT — a unit established decades ago had come in handy for not only floating the special group but also for ensuring immediate placement. “We ensure immediate placement for achieving the goals of the training,” he said.
