Apna Rozgaar Scheme: 310 Not Out !!!
(Self Employment Scheme)

When people, who are already skilled in a trade, besides being literate, cannot deploy their talents in earning a day's meal, what happens to those millions of disabled people, who are unskilled, poor and illiterate? Does socio-economic rehabilitation hold no meaning for them? Should they be left to their fates? Is providing aids and appliances to them, the end of their rehabilitation programme? Can something be done to help them lead a meaningful and worthy life?

Yes, all is not lost yet! The solution to this gigantic problem is self-employment. FOD realised this in 1993, when it financially helped and counselled Jitender Kumar, a victim of Punjab terrorism, sustaining gunshot injury, to open a snack stall inside his PCO booth. A small amount of Rs.2500/- worked miracles for Jitender Kumar. After getting established in his trade, he bought a house, got married and now has substantial bank deposits in the name of his two children.

Paucity of funds did not allow FOD to take up the self-employment programme formally till 1998, when it officially launched Apna Rozgaar Scheme (ARS) to economically rehabilitate disabled people, coming from below poverty line, living in Delhi, to start or expand a trade of their own choice.

FOD is of strong belief that self-employment is the most viable option to gainfully employ its target group. Apart from ensuring monetary independence, a micro-trade of one's own choice, say- a small general store, or a stall selling-tea, eatables, cosmetics, tobacco products or a repair shop or anything else that does not need a formal training can easily be opened in a surrounding vicinity.

A disabled person employed at an office, usually encounters inaccessible environment at work place and enroute, whereas having a personal set-up offers him liberty to design it according to his comfort and convenience. Self-operated businesses also offer an ample scope for further expansion. Besides, getting productively-employed saves them from becoming an easy prey to anti social elements, who exploit them to meet their nefarious goals.

FOD has experienced that its target group can easily earn Rs.90/-to Rs.100/- a day, through self-employment. What is required on their part is total dedication and willingness

"Impressed by the results of ARS, a few individuals and organizations in India and abroad have come forward to sponsor some of the cases under the scheme. Trickle Up Program (TUP), a New York based agency, Charities Aid Foundation and R C Malhotra Foundation Trust are supporting ARS in a big way.

Though TUP, with a sole motive to alleviate poverty from the face of the earth, already had many partner agencies in India, none of them had ever worked exclusively for people with disabilities (pwds). FOD and TUP joined hands for a common cause of eliminating poverty. CAF has been supporting FOD, particularly ARS through its array of projects for more than a year now. RCMFT was referred to FOD by TUP a year and half ago and has been sponsoring ARS entrepreneurs since then."

Since 1998, there has been a concerted effort to propagate and strengthen ARS, which helped FOD reach a milestone in March 2003, when the 100th entrepreneur was inducted into the scheme. As of today 238 disabled people have availed the services of the scheme

But as said, even a good marksman may sometimes miss, ARS too has had its share of failures. Though a case is thoroughly evaluated and verified, before an entrepreneur is sanctioned a loan- given in kind, there have been around 25 % of Apna Rozgaar Scheme entrepreneurs, who proved to be unsuccessful on different grounds. Main reasons of failure in such cases are ill intention and non-seriousness of the candidates. Any business opened with an oblique motive of grabbing whatever possible, from all probable sources, can end in nothing but a flop. Moreover, people who migrate to places outside Delhi also bear losses in their otherwise flourishing trades. Failure is also attributed to theft, fire, illness in the family and other contingencies.

However, FOD takes such adversities in its stride. Had these affected the project, it would not have been able to establish 75% and above thriving ARS businesses

Apna Rozgaar Scheme entrepreneurs now understand that money is symbol of prestige. Today they are capable of celebrating and rejoicing their hard-earned economic independence, leaving behind their dreary past. They are no more a burden on society and government. Life of dignity awaits them….