The State Government must make all possible efforts to bring autistic children to the mainstream society, said Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan Chairman Major General BK Mohapatra here on Sunday.
Attending as chief guest at the annual day celebration of the Autism Therapy Centre (ATC) here, Mohapatra said that mindset of people towards these children should be changed. “All children are gift of God. And, special attention should be given to children with autism for their overall development. We cannot overlook various hidden talents in them and efforts should be made to hone their skills and bring them to the mainstream,” he stated.
Besides, the State Government should reinforce the three per cent job reservation meant for disabled people and all PSUs and corporate sectors should extend their support and compassion towards differently-abled persons. Industries should provide employment to such persons according to their skills and abilities, he added.
The chief guest reiterated, “Money is not an all-time essential for every issue in the society. Only humanity and a proper mindset are required to bring solutions for all problems”.later, various cultural programmes like song, dance and drama were showcased by a few autistic children on the occasion.
Besides, some autistic kids were also distributed with prizes for winning various sports contests held earlier. The event was organised by the Manage Autism Now (MAN) Trust. Among others, Vice-Chancellor of the Sri Sri University Dr Kailash Chandra Mishra, ATC executive body president Satkadi Hota, MAN Trust chairman Swarnalata Mishra and trustee Madan Mohan Panda also spoke.