“Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization” – Mahatma Gandhi
In today’s digital day and age, where the world around us is becoming smaller and smaller, the need to bridge the gap between the people of this world is more significant. The need to change mindsets is higher
– where gender, age, region, language, religion, caste, class, background, occupation, and disability no longer matter.
At BLS International, we strive to make the lives of diverse people across the globe easier and hassle-free with our services. We are proud to acknowledge that our strength lies in the diversity of our colleagues and the people we serve. Together, we have brought BLS International to where it stands today.
About BLS
BLS International commenced operations in 2005 as a trusted global tech-enabled services partner for governments and citizens. We are amongst the top three global players in visa, passport, consular, e- governance, attestation, biometric, e-visa, and retail services. We also provide citizen services to state and provincial governments across Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, North America & the Middle East.
Our first contract was to set up a Visa Application Centre (VAC) for the Portuguese Embassy in New Delhi. In under two decades, we have successfully established our VAC centers for 46 client governments across 66 nations!
Along with the establishment of our Visa and Consular services, we have also established a solid vertical in providing last-mile government services to citizens in India. Also known as Digital Services, we provide infrastructure, technology, administrative solutions, systems, service integration, and lifecycle support to people through our Citizen Service Centers that we have established in various parts of the country.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at BLS
We at BLS International are mindful of diversity and ensure that it is a crucial parameter at the core of all our operations.
At BLS, when entrusted with setting up a visa and consular services center in any country, we strive to hire nationals at the centers who will be delivering the required services to citizens. We are an equal opportunity employer and ensure everyone can rise, irrespective of income, gender, geography, and age. We have successfully recognized that different sections of society need individualized attention and have therefore devised multiple initiatives to enable upliftment across every community area.
Some of these initiatives include:
Multicultural Diversity
BLS is notable for its long-standing commitment to multicultural diversity, with a presence in over 66+ countries across the globe. The company aimed to better its communities, such as disability awareness workshops, multicultural mentorship programs, and job training for vulnerable young populations.
BLS also commits to gender equality, with 45% of its workforce comprising women. BLS achieves this by having a detailed diversity-and-inclusion strategy that the company implements at locations around the world, resulting in positive changes in its communities and elevating women into leadership positions across the company.
Generating Employment Opportunities
As a part of our Digital Services vertical, we have established nearly 2 Lakh Citizen Service Centers (CSCs) pan India, where we hire the local youth from the districts (where the centers have been founded) and give them the responsibility to manage these CSCs successfully.
This initiative serves as a golden opportunity for the local youth as they learn to become Aatmanirbhar (self-dependent) and, in turn, become entrepreneurs in their rights, who are also referred to as Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLE) or as Service Centre Operators (SCO). These youths become financially independent and responsible and earn their livelihood by providing a decentralized self-governance backbone to the government’s administrative system.
BLS also creates employment opportunities for women, senior citizens, and others from all walks of life at our CSCs, allowing them to earn an income that helps increase their self-worth.
At BLS International, we pride ourselves on creating a work ethos that teaches, encourages, and rewards dedication to one’s duties and responsibilities.
Women Empowerment
We are proud to share that in our effort to include everyone and ensure gender parity amidst all strata of society, our most significant success has been having women VLEs at 17.2% of our CSCs nationwide.
This success has led to a tremendous breakthrough where 44.3% of accounts operating through our banking services belong to women!
Making a Difference in the Lives of the Differently Abled
At BLS International, our role doesn’t end just at gender parity or women’s diversity. We also take pride in providing employment opportunities to the differently abled. Our Citizen Service Centers are well equipped to aid the differently abled in carrying out their responsibilities, enabling them to live life with dignity.
In today’s day and age, diversity and inclusiveness play a crucial role everywhere, whether in society or at the workplace. Every organization must rigorously practice diversity and sensitization to grow and do more. While the path to complete diversity is still long, the more organizations implement diversity, the better the world will be to work and live. To close, we’d like to share a quote by the nation’s leader “I believe growth should be constant, sustained, and inclusive. It’s only meaningful if these three things are there. Otherwise, they’re just economic figures.”- Shri Narendra Modi.