Port Blair, Dec 04: The International Day of Persons with Disabilities, (Divyangs) was celebrated in the Islands together with the rest of the world and country yesterday. The Social Welfare Department of the A&N Administration organised day long programmes to celebrate the day befittingly. The Lt. Governor, A&N Islands, Prof. Jagdish Mukhi was the chief guest of the valedictory function held at Netaji Stadium here this evening.
The Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Shri Anindo Majumdar, BJP State President, Shri Vishal Jolly, Adhyaksh, ZPSA, Shri Jaydeep Kumar Dey, Chairperson, PBMC, Shri B. Eswar Rao, Chairperson, SSWB, Dr. Poonam Arora besides other dignitaries, were present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering soon after lighting the ceremonial lamp, the Lt. Governor expressed his happiness over the befitting programmes organized with different activities and competitions to celebrate the day in the Islands. He said, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (Divayangs) is an annual event promoted by the United Nations to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well- being of persons with disabilities since 1992 and our Country recognized it through an Act in the year 1995.
The Lt. Governor informed that the National Association for Handicapped in Delhi, a registered body, organizes National Sports Meet of Divyangs on this day wherein lakhs of disabled persons, drawn from different Districts of India participate in different events. Turning to the Islands, the Lt Governor said, in A&N Islands, there are 6000 disabled children out of which 3,500 students are provided scholarships by the Govt. Apart from this, annual tuition fee of Rs 15,000 is being provided for the students, above metric level while up to metric level the tuition fee provided is more than Rs.6000. The Lt. Governor stated now a days, persons with single disability are being provided disability certificate by a single authority.
The Lt Governor assured that the Central Govt. and the Administration is committed towards the welfare of the Divyangs and will leave no stone un-turned with regard to providing further facilities to them. He said, the Administration alone cannot take up all kinds of welfare measure; therefore, it should be the social responsibility & collective efforts from all of us including the Charitable Institutions, for achieving the desired goals. He cited the example of Naryanswami Institution (Hospital) in Udaipur which prepares artificial limbs for disabled persons. The Lt. Governor said, he himself visited the Hospital and impressed with their work, 13 Centers were opened in Delhi under Bharat Vikas Parishad where artificial limbs are prepared for the benefit of the disabled persons. The Lt. Governor called upon the charitable/voluntary organizations in Isles to come forward for such noble cause and contribute towards the welfare of the divyangs. The Lt. Governor concluded his speech by saying that the enthusiasm of the ‘divyang’ participants, their conviction that they are second to none and the exuberance in them makes the celebration more significant and meaningful.
The Lt. Governor distributed prizes to the winners of sports and painting competitions and also handed over the badges to 20 differently abled persons who have been selected to undergo training in Hospitality Sector under Divyang Saksham Programme, to be conducted by the A&N State Social Welfare Board. The Chairperson, SSWB, Dr. Poonam Arora introduced the first batch of trainees on the occasion.
In his address, the Chief Secretary, Shri Anindo Majumdar said, every year, December 3rd is celebrated as ‘International Day of Persons with Disabilities’ to reaffirm our commitment in making our society more inclusive. He observed that every year there is improvement in our efforts towards enabling the differently abled persons. He further said that the aim of the Government is to give ‘Divyangs’, the respect, acceptance and empathy they deserve besides enabling them to share equal place in the society. He further added that the Government is doing much in helping such people in need by creating conducive environment for them to compete and here in A&N Islands, the Administration is also ensuring the same. However, he said, we need to identify many more such children, who need support, especially the children with special needs. He called upon all Departments to come together and help the differently abled children and stressed the need for inclusive education. He also assured the support and commitment of the Administration in creating a favourable environment for the differently abled persons in every sphere.
Earlier, welcoming the gathering, the Secretary Social Welfare, Smt. Rashmi Singh said ‘International Day for Divyang’ is being celebrated across the globe and here in Port Blair as well as other parts of the Islands viz. Rangat, Diglipur and Car Nicobar. Various programmes like talent search and sports activities were organized as part of the observance of the day with an aim to empower Divyangs with livelihood linkage besides health check up. The programmes were organized with an objective to bring about social change in the mindsets of these especially abled persons. She remarked that we need to ensure social inclusion of the differently abled persons and help create conducive environment for them to live. She further stated that NABARD in collaboration with SSWB is conducting trainings for the specially abled persons in Hospitality sector under Divyang Saksham Programme with the support of ACCI. She also thanked the Lt. Governor for his guidance and support in this regard.
A cultural programme by Divyang children drew huge applause from the gathering. Divyangs Smt. Leena, Kumari Mahua Mistry and Rajhansa also shared their views on the occasion. A short skit titled ‘Swachchta Ke Sipahi’, directed by Padmashree Awardee Shri Naresh Chander Lall was also presented by the Divyang children, with an aim to create awareness on cleanliness.
The A&N Islands Ambassador for Swachch Bharat, Shri Naresh Chander Lall also shared his experiences of working with differently abled children.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chairperson, SSWB, Dr. Poonam Arora said that it is our duty to make these specially abled persons acceptable in the society by giving them the platform to exhibit their hidden talents and sharpen them further. She said, the Hospitality sector here in A&N Islands is booming rapidly and the differently abled children are being identified for training them in housekeeping, maintenance and front office management besides practical exposure will also be ensured, which will enable them to be self dependent, she added.
The programme concluded with the vote of thanks proposed by the Director, Social Welfare, Shri Jintender Agarwal.
