Jammu: Union minister Virender Kumar on Tuesday reviewed the ongoing construction of the permanent premises of the Composite Regional Centre (CRC) for persons with disabilities in Jammu and emphasised timely completion of the Rs 24-crore facility to strengthen rehabilitation, skill development and empowerment services.
The centre, coming up at Village Chak Jawala in Vijaypur of Samba district, Jammu and Kashmir, will expand access to rehabilitation, special education, early intervention and support services for persons with disabilities, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said.
The permanent premises will enhance the institutional capacity of CRC Jammu, which is currently operating on a limited scale in Jammu city, the ministry said.
Kumar said the centre would provide physiotherapy and specialised training for children with disabilities to help them become self-reliant. Training for parents and caregivers would also be facilitated to enable them to better support children with disabilities.
A Pradhan Mantri Divyasha Kendra will be established at the facility to facilitate access to assistive devices, while disability-related courses, including B.Ed. and M.Ed. programmes, are also planned, the ministry said.
The facility will also house laboratories for the measurement, manufacture and fitting of customised artificial limbs and other assistive devices, helping beneficiaries carry out daily activities with greater ease and independence.
During the visit, CRC Jammu Director Rohnika Sharma briefed the minister on the progress of construction, work completed so far and the remaining activities required for timely completion and operationalisation of the facility.
Kumar emphasised the need for appropriate infrastructure and timely completion of the project to ensure effective delivery of services to persons with disabilities.
He said empowering persons with disabilities was integral to the vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’ and the goal of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
The centre will address the long-standing need for a comprehensive rehabilitation facility in the Jammu region, bringing disability-related services closer to beneficiaries, from children to senior citizens, the ministry said.
CRC Jammu functions under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities through the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities in New Delhi.
