Nearly 12 lakh people of the total population in the State are persons with disabilities (PWDs). Though the State Government is taking steps, still there is a need for joint collaboration of NGOs, industries, civil societies, disabled and their families to speed up the rehabilitation process of
PWDs, said Minister of State for Disability Welfare of the W&CD Department Pranab Prakash Das at an event held at the VRC for Handicapped here on Monday.
At the event, 69 PWDs were provided with Self-Employment tool kits worth Rs 6 lakh. The tool kits include 26 commercial grinders, 19 tailoring machines and 24 beauty parlor kits. Of the 69
PWDs, 25 were hearing impaired, 27 are visually impaired and 17 are locomotors disabled. The kits were sponsored by the State Directorate for Welfare of PWDs VRC for Handicapped Assistant Director Ram Kishor Sharma informed that the beauty parlour kits were provided to the hearing impaired adult girls, who had undergone month-long beauty parlour management training, jointly organized by the VRC for Handicapped and RUDSETI Bhubaneswar. Besides, a two-week-long skill upgraded training will also be imparted to the girls, who will run beauty parlours successfully.
W&CD Department Secretary Arti Ahuja, State Commissioner for PWDs Kasturi Mohapatra and Director for Welfare of PWDs BB Pattnaik were present, among others.