Guwahati: Gracing the national health festival for Divyang children & athletes on the occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in the city on Thursday, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma commented that specially abled children hold immense possibilities and the government has taken several initiatives for their empowerment and use them as an important component of State’s human resources.
Sarma disclosed that the government under Deendayal Divyang pension scheme is paying monthly rupees 1000 to more than one lakh beneficiaries of the State. Moreover, under Deendayal disabled rehabilitation scheme several Divyang people have been benefited. At the same time, specially abled people are given more than 1.20 lakh UDID cards and also scholarships to students.
On the occasion, Sarma also requested the parents of specially abled children (below six years) with hearing difficulties to avail the benefits of government’s special scheme Sneha Sparsha to get free cochlear implant for their kids to lead a normal life. Mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s description of specially abled people as Divyangjans, he added that those people are in no way weak and they are indispensable while implementing the government’s objective of inclusive growth.
Organised by Special Olympic
Bharat along with the State social welfare and health & family welfare department, the national health festival is an effort to provide consultations on dental problems and other fitness parameters of the people with intellectual disability. The event was organised in 75 cities across India where over 75 thousand children and athletes with intellectual disability participated. In Assam the event was organised in Guwahati and Jorhat.
Referring to the success stories of specially abled artistes like television personality Sudha Chandran, musician Rabindra Jain, mountaineer Arunima Sinha, Paralympic medal winners Sumit Antil, Avani Lekhara, Bhavina Patel, etc Sarma stated that the lives and achievements of these personalities are the testimonies of the indomitable power of specially abled people.
In presence of State social welfare minister Ajanta Neog, legislators Bhabesh Kalita & Hemanga Thakuria, Karbi Anglong autonomous council chief Tuliram Ronghang with many other dignitaries, Sarma also presented mementoes to some specially abled athletes for theirperformances in various international events including Olympics.
