Today with the formal inauguration of Assembly Shop of Modern lower limb Prosthesis (supplied by M/s. Ottobock India) jointly by Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment and Murli Manohar Joshi, MP, Kanpur Nagar the concept of ‘Make in India’ is beginning to take shape in the precincts of AlIMCO, Kanpur. Devendra Singh ‘Bhole’, Member of Parliament, Akbarpur constituency, Vinod Aggarwal, secretary and Awanish Kumar Awasthi, joint secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Government of India were also present to grace the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion the Union Minister said that he wished to see AlIMCO achieve greater heights and set international standards in the field of rehabilitation and manufacturing of assistive devices. Informing about the various welfare schemes for persons with disabilities implemented by his ministry he said that in his tenure he made the Department active and took various steps to ensure that low price but high quality assistive products are made available for the needy. He added that modernization of AlIMCO is a step towards achieving this goal and hence the process of modernisation will proceed with greater pace. Minister announced that one more distribution camp will be conducted in the rural region of the Kanpur in near future. He lauded the efforts of the management, Officers and workers of AlIMCO and appreciated the step of opening of Toll-free Helpline service.
Presiding over the function Murli Manohar Joshi, MP, Kanpur Nagar said that Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment has carried out unprecedented work during the last two years towards the cause of disability. He urged the beneficiaries present during the event that their involvement is very essential for the progress of the nation.
The event also saw the inauguration of AlIMCO Assembly Shop, where Above Knee and Below Knee Prosthesis procured from Ottobock, India (Indian wing of world known manufacturer Ottobock, Germany) under the TOT Agreement. First phase of indigenous manufacturing of the High End Device has commenced, subsequently AlIMCO by September of this year will start manufacturing each component which have been currently procured for trail.
To witness this historic beginning many notable and distinguished personalities, which included Andre Muller and lothar Franz Koch, who came from Germany, had all the praises and expectations from the joint venture between two major manufacturers of Aid and Assistive Devices for the persons with disabilities in the world. This collaboration will go a long way in bringing down the cost of High End Artificial limbs to the persons with disabilities in the country, while restoring easy availability and high beneficiary satisfaction level.
Another important facility inaugurated today was the establishment of AlIMCO Toll Free Customer Care & Feedback Services (Toll Free No. 18001805129). This service will cater for both solicited and unsolicited cause. The aim is to obtain feedback from the beneficiaries who are served by AlIMCO under various schemes across the country and take necessary corrective measures like product improvement and R & D on one hand and also for spreading awareness about the various schemes and products available for the benefit to the persons with disabilities.
DR Sarin, CMD, AlIMCO on the occasion briefed about the project and shared the information with the dignitaries and local representatives.
Distribution of assistive Aids and Appliances
The inauguration function was followed by a distribution camp wherein a total of 690 pre-identified beneficiaries with different kind of disabilities were to be provided with 1227 number of assistive Aids and Appliances valuing more than Rs56 lakhs. These beneficiaries were identified during the assessment camps conducted by AlIMCO recently at Bellhor, Ghatampur and Sadar Blocks in Kanpur.
Beneficiaries were provided with various assistive aids and devices which includes:
463 tricycles
65 wheelchairs
412 crutches
10 walking Stick
10 rollators for Orthopedically Impaired persons
10 braille Cane (folding)
Two braille Kit
46 behind The Ear — Digital Hearing Aid machines and
Three SIED Kit (Multi Sensory Inclusive Educational Kit) for Children with Special Needs.