Bhubaneswar: The state government’s determination to bring differently-abled individuals into the mainstream and establish an inclusive environment echoes the ethos of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, said Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Minister Ashok Chandra Panda here Friday.
Panda was addressing the inaugural programme of a 3-day celebration organised here by the department to mark the special day marked for persons with disabilities (PwDs). He added that the theme of this year’s celebration, ‘united in action to rescue and achieve sustainable development goals for, with and by PwDs,’ is aimed at championing inclusivity in all spheres: social, economic, and cultural.
Highlighting the various welfare measures taken in the state to empower PwDs, Panda said that energy and potential of these individuals should be meaningfully utilised to make them responsible partners in socio-economic growth. Attending the programme Kandhamal MP Achyuta Samanta said that PwDs must be treated with equal dignity, opportunities, rights, and livelihood. “Inclusion requires more awareness within the civil society,” he said emphasizing on education of PwDs for sustained growth. SSEPD principal secretary Bishnupada Sethi said that to diminish and bridge the disparity that exists for persons with disabilities, we must come together and embrace them with open arms.
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP