Indian-American Industry Leader: India’s Disability Sector Could Contribute $1 Trillion to the Economy by 2047

Pranav Desai, the founder of Voice of Specially Abled People, recently visited India where he met with prominent leaders of the ruling BJP in New Delhi, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP President J P Nadda. He also met with the Gujarat Chief Minister in Ahmedabad to present his vision document for the cause, and traveled to Goa for a volunteer meeting.

In an interview with PTI, Mr. Desai emphasized the potential for India’s specially-abled population to actively contribute to the nation’s economic growth, with the goal of achieving a USD 1 trillion contribution to the disability sector by 2047 in Viksit Bharat. He highlighted the importance of strategic action and policy to enable this potential.

During his meetings, Mr. Desai stressed the need to transform the disability sector by focusing on the economic argument rather than the traditional welfare perspective. He advocated for promoting awareness about the abilities of specially-abled people and presented accessibility and transportation issues faced by individuals with disabilities to Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.

Additionally, Mr. Desai explored opportunities for employment of persons with disabilities across various business units with Priti Adani, chairperson of the Adani Foundation, aiming to hire up to 10,000 people from the disability sector for sectors like solar installation. Furthermore, he highlighted initiatives such as Samarth by Hyundai in partnership with NDTV, which seeks to promote inclusivity and enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities.

Overall, the focus of Mr. Desai’s visit was on advocating for the active participation and economic inclusion of specially-abled individuals in India.