Standard Chartered and Dr. Reddy’s Foundation (DRF) today announced the extension of their partnership 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 this new agreement, DRF will train and facilitate the placement of 1,250 PwDs by March 2028. This programme will focus on equipping individuals with locomotor disabilities, hearing impairment, dwarfism and cerebral palsy with core employability skills, helping 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 signing was attended by P.D. Singh, CEO, India & South Asia, Standard Chartered and K. Satish Reddy, Chairman, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and Dr. Reddy’s Foundation.
The partnership between the Bank and DRF commenced in November 2023 which started with the skill development initiative for PwDs. This programme successfully trained its first batch of over 3000 PwDs by December 2025, with 70% of these candidates getting mainstream employment. In January 2026, Standard Chartered and DRF launched a self-employment initiative for PwDs, in which funding support was extended to 1,900 PwDs to establish or expand micro-enterprises, with the objective of increasing their monthly income by at least 50%. The programme is currently being implemented and is scheduled to conclude in September 2027.
Collectively, all the above-mentioned initiatives under the Standard Chartered – DRF partnership are expected to positively impact more than 6,000 youth and PwDs till March 2028.
Speaking about the renewed partnership, Karuna Bhatia, Head of Sustainability, India, Standard Chartered, said, “Our skill development programme is a youth economic empowerment initiative, tackling inequality and promoting greater economic inclusion. We truly believe that meaningful economic participation begins with access to opportunities. Our partnership with Dr. Reddy’s Foundation 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, said, “Our partnership with Standard Chartered is central to our work in equipping persons with disabilities and youth from economically weaker sections with future-ready skills and competencies. Through this partnership, we enable them to secure formal sector employment and support self-employed PwDs in growing their businesses.”