Govt fully committed to welfare of Divyangjans: Gehlot

Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot today said the Union government is fully committed to the welfare of Divyangjans and several new initiatives have been taken for their welfare during the last three years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 'Inclusion of people with Intellectual and Developmental disabilities (IDDs) in our fabric of society is essential and can only be achieved with a higher level of commitment,' said the Minister, while addressing the 'Inclusive India Initiative-2017' conference, organised by the National Trust for the welfare of persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities under the MSJE, here.

Mr Gehlot said the categories of Divyangjans have been increased from seven to 21, so that more Divyangjans may be benefit with the welfare schemes of the government. For the first time, the Pre-Matric, Post-Matric and Foreign scholarships for the Divyangjans have been started, he added. Applauding the efforts of the National Trust, the Union Minister said Divyangjans were now getting four per cent reservation in Jobs on Government departments and five per cent reservation in higher education. Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Textiles Smriti Irani said that counselling of parents and family members of Divyangjans was very important and the eco-system of Divyangjans should be strengthened. It is very important for all Divyangjans to know about the various welfare schemes of the Government for them and for this, inclusive information is necessary, Ms Irani pointed out. She said educational institutions in the country, including in rural areas, should be sensitised about the welfare measures for Divyangjans, adding that career counselling for Divyangjans should also be give due importance. Prime Minister's Mudra Yojana should also be used for this purpose, she said.

The Minister assured all support and cooperation from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, including Doordarshan and All India Radio, for publicising all schemes related to Divyangjans. Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahastrabuddhe, Chairman of National Trust Kamlesh Kumar Pandey and CEO of National Trust Mukesh Jain were present on the occasion. Dignitaries from varied fields attended the event, including Bollywood actor and Brand Ambassador of Accessible India Campaign of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Social Justice & Empowerment Vivek Oberoi, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of The Print Shekhar Gupta and UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident representative Yuri Afanasiev.

Besides, 2016 Paralympics Champion Deepa Malik, Indian Blind Cricket Team Captain Shekar Naik, Chairman and Managing Director of Lemon Tree Hotels Pattu Keswani, Director of National Innovation Foundation Vipin Kumar, differently-abled UPSC Topper, 2014 Ira Singhal and renowned Indian filmmaker and poet Muzaffar Ali, were also present. Inclusive India Initiative is a mass awareness campaign of the National Trust, aimed at reducing the barriers for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, by making the workplaces, public zones and educational institutes more inclusive and accessible, a statement said here.