MARGAO: Eight hundred equipments costing Rs 35.64 lakh were distributed to 446 beneficiaries at a function held at Ravindra Bhavan to celebrate the International Day for Persons with Disabilities by Social Welfare Minister Milind Naik.
On the occasion, he said that he has a soft corner for disabled persons and assured to get as many schemes as possible from the Union government to help integrate disable persons with the general society in Goa.
W V R Murthy, Secretary Social Welfare, Government of Goa disclosed that there are around 33,000 disabled persons registered in Goa and that in the last four and a half years 7,000 camps have been held to distribute appliances to the needy.
Disclosing that 1500 hearing disabled persons have got their hearing restored following the surgery for cochlear implantation for which the Union government pays Rs 6 lakh, he said such surgery would be undertaken in Goa too shortly.
He said 31 government buildings have been identified for making them disabled friendly and work on renovating them would commence shortly.
as the government has sanctioned Rs 9 crore for this task. He added that Kadamba Transport Corporation has modified 46 buses to make them disabled friendly.
Secretary of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disability Mrs Shakumntala D Gamlin pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has special interest in the disabled persons and hence has coined the term “divyangjan” for them.
Asserting that disabled persons cannot be marginalised and have to be integrated with the society, she said her department is constantly upgrading the illness to be recognized as disability and added that 21 new disabilities like autism and cerebral palsy are included in the list. She said the government is also looking towards making modes of transportation disable friendly.
At the programme, 10 tricycles, 44 wheelchairs, 17 chairs for cerebral palsy affected persons, 42 crutches, 9 walking sticks, 1 Braille cane and 1 Braille kit, 230 hearing aids, 44 Rolators, 27 smart canes, 6 smart phones, 4 daisy players, 230 MSIED Kits (multi sensory educational kits) and 127 calipers and prosthesis for polio afflicted children were distributed.
All the material costing around Rs 35.64 lakhs were manufactured by Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) at Jabalpur and the beneficiaries were identified through an assessment held in February this year at Margao, Vasco, Ponda, Sanguem, Quepem, Canacona, Dharbandora and Mormugao.
Students of eight schools presented dance items while students from nine schools participated in the fancy dress competitions. There were interesting skits combined with dance form to give messages of cleanliness and stop littering.
