Tata Steel Foundation inks MoU with Jyotir Gamya, an initiative of Saksham and Assistech Lab of IIT Delhi

Tata Steel Foundation inked an MoU with Jyotir Gamya (an initiative of Saksham and Assistech Lab of IIT Delhi) today to implement a two-year long project to identify and train persons with visual impairments on the use of assistive technology.

The MoU signed between Dr Dipendra Manocha, founder Saksham and Rajiv Raturi, Strategic Advisor Saksham, Sourav Roy, CEO TSF and Captain Amitabh, Head Skill Development, TSF.

Jyotir Gamya programme is designed to recognise the importance of assistive technology provided solutions not only to make persons with visual impairments independent in reading and writing but enable to independently perform several activities online such as operating their bank accounts and performing bank transactions on their own, doing railway reservations, online shopping, or using tools like google maps for navigation, from the complex to simple like using mobile phones for essential activities of daily living.

Sourav Roy, CEO, Tata Steel Foundation, during the MoU signing said, “Sabal has been quietly building a platform which brings together communities, civil society, companies, and public systems to stand by persons with disabilities in a quest for dignity and ability. It works with more than 10,000 people every year prioritising those who remain vulnerable even within the current discourse on disability. We believe that programmes like Jyotir Gamya with able partners like Saksham and IIT Delhi have a shared ethos with Sabal, and we are excited at the possibilities that this collaboration may open for many.”

The objective of this project is to create a network of Visually Impaired and Print disabled who have been made aware of and trained on the use of Assistive Technology and its solutions and who would continue to spread awareness and use of the same in the community and expand the network of users through peer engagement. The project aims to help 1258 visually impaired persons by the end of two years.