IMPHAL, December 3: Many persons with disabilities or differently abled persons can excel in several fields like sports, art and culture, etc. asserted Principal Secretary Social Welfare SK Dev Verman today.
The IAS officer was addressing the observation of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 2015 organised by the Social Welfare department at Kangsang, Khuman Lampak.
The day was observed under the theme ‘Inclusion matters: access and empowerment of people al all abilities.’
Dev Verman observed persons with disabilities do have equal rights as does every other person of the society.
The government will extent all possible means to help and support the people with disabilities in fulfilling their dreams, he said.
Concerned NGOs are also doing their best with funds allocated from both the Central and State governments, he observed adding that the Social Welfare department is also helping the NGOs in their work.
We must extent our full support to the people with disabilities encouraging them to attend regular schools, uprooting discrimination towards them and also the society needs to support the family members of the people with disabilities, he asserted.
He mentioned that society in general needs to change its mind-set towards people with disabilities.
Manipur State Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairperson S Saratkumar Sharma speaking as one of the guests of honour at the observation called on the authorities to create more rooms in allocation of government jobs to the people with disabilities.
He further urged the concerned authorities to conduct more vocational trainings for the people with disabilities to impart entrepreneur skills and help them in sustaining themselves.
They will further need help from the authorities concerned to link up with the financial institutions to start their business once they gain the required entrepreneur skills, he added.
Citing that children with disabilities do often face discrimination in their schools and are abused, he demanded the government to enact a redressal cell or complaint room for such incidents.
Social welfare director L Nabakishwar Singh as president of the function further appealed to the concerned authority of medical department for speedy issuance of disability certificates, stating that people with disabilities have to undergo undue sufferings due to any delay in the issuance of the certificates.
The observation was also attended by founder of the Worldwide Peace Organisation Sagar Pararsi as a guest of honour.
Students of the Government Ideal Blind School of Takyel presented the opening song of the function.
Participants were also presented gifts during the function.
