Standard Chartered and Dr Reddy’s Foundation (DRF) are partnering to advance the economic inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) through skill development and employment opportunities across Maharashtra, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi.
Under a new agreement signed by PD Singh, CEO, India & South Asia, Standard Chartered and K Satish Reddy, chairman, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Dr. Reddy’s Foundation, DRF will train and facilitate the placement of 1,250 PwDs by March 2028.
The programme will equip individuals with locomotor disabilities, hearing impairment, dwarfism and cerebral palsy with core employability skills, and thus, help them access mainstream employment opportunities and achieve greater financial independence. The announcement marked a renewed commitment to empowering PwDs through market-relevant training and sustainable livelihood opportunities.
The partnership between the Bank and DRF commenced in November 2023, starting with the skill development initiative for PwDs. This programme successfully trained its first batch of over 3000 PwDs by December 2025, with 70 per cent of these candidates getting mainstream employment. In January 2026, Standard Chartered and DRF launched a self-employment initiative for PwDs, in which funds were provided to 1,900 PwDs to establish or expand micro-enterprises. The goal was to help increase their monthly income by at least 50 per cent. The programme is currently being implemented and is scheduled to conclude in September 2027.
All these initiatives under the Standard Chartered – DRF partnership are expected to positively impact more than 6,000 youth and PwDs by March 2028.
Karuna Bhatia, head of sustainability, India, Standard Chartered, calls this skill-development programme “a youth economic-empowerment initiative, tackling inequality and promoting greater economic inclusion” because “meaningful economic participation begins with access to opportunities”. The collaboration “reflects our commitment to fostering an inclusive workforce and enabling persons with disabilities to build sustainable careers. By investing in skills development and employment pathways, we aim to help create a more equitable future where talent is recognised and nurtured irrespective of physical abilities.”
Shamik Trehan, CEO, Dr Reddy’s Foundation, believes that this partnership will enable youth “to secure formal sector employment and support self-employed PwDs in growing their businesses.”
