The ministry of information technology has embarked on a programme to provide job-oriented training in information technology (I.T.) to visually impaired students. The programme will include training for jobs at call centres. Twenty schools in Tamil Nadu and in Delhi have been selected for this purpose.<br><br>This was announced by the union minister for communications and information technology Dayanidhi Maran at the fourth anniversary celebrations of ‘Nethrodaya’, a self-help organisation for visually impaired people based in Tamil Nadu.<br><br>Appreciating the initiatives of Nethrodaya and its founder C. Govinda Krishnan, Maran said that as per the last census, there were 222 million physically disabled people in the country. Though 43 % of them were educated, only 34 % (around 70 lakh) were employed. <br><br>Speaking at the function, Tamil Nadu commissioner for people with disability, V.K. Jayakodi said that the state government has decided to provide computers for visually impaired students of class X and XII. It would also provide pre-recorded audiocassettes and tape recorders to the schools. <br><br>He said orders would be issued shortly for launching a scheme under which top rankers in public examinations among the visually impaired students would get cash awards and assistance to pursue higher education.