Enabled strong enough to stand with dignity

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Enabled strong enough to stand with dignity

31 August 2021

Often we have seen people with disabilities reeling through a great deal of stress while meeting their daily life needs. Unlike abled persons, meeting the complex needs with a disability can trigger a range of unsettling emotions and fears. But Arun Kumar chose to live a life with dignity, fighting all the systematic and physical barriers.

A differently-abled person, Arun today runs a mobile phone service centre at Vellichand village near GMR Krishnagiri SIR (Special Investment Region) Ltd. But his life was a misery a few years ago. When Arun was in college, he lost his right leg in an accident while going to college. He had to discontinue his studies as his parents were daily wagers and could not save enough. He lost all hopes of securing a bright future. His lack of education and physical disability proved to be a huge disqualification when he started chasing employment opportunities.

But Arun was clear that with determination, commitment and strength of mind, he will be able to empower himself one day. At this juncture, he came to know through one of his friends that GMR's CSR arm - GMR Varalakshmi Foundation (GMRVF) supports the youth with skill training based on their interest and also provides support in setting up of their enterprise. He approached GMRVF and enrolled in a one month Mobile Repair Training course where he started honing all the technical skills.

GMRVF provided him with basic equipment and a tool kit. With this, he started his shop in Vallichand village where he started offering multiple services ranging from mobile repairing to selling mobile accessories etc.

The World Airport Star Rating program is a global Quality-Evaluation-System for the Airport industry. It uses a direct and professional analysis of Airport's Product and Service Quality Standards. It began in 1999, when Skytrax launched its first global, Airport customer satisfaction survey.

And that's not all, Delhi airport has also improved its overall ranking, moving from number 50 in 2020 to number 45 in the 2021 World's Top 50 Airport league. It is the First Indian Airport to achieve this feat!

Hyderabad International Airport is another major winner of this prestigious awards. The airport has jumped seven place up to 64th position in global ranking this year from 71 in 2020.

Under the umbrella of GMR Airports, Delhi Airport has ranked first, and Hyderabad Airport has ranked second in the 'Best Airport in India and Central Asia' category, beating Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai airports in India and Colombo Airport in Central Asia region.

The journey at GMR-led airports continues to make travellers feel safe and secure. Who knows, next year might bring another jump in the position, another award, recognition that will make the customers even more proud patrons.