A first of its kind in the State, a car rally for the visually-challenged persons was organised here on the occasion of the World Braille Day.
The Sightsavers, UK-based global development organisation working on eye health and disabilities, in partnership with the Institute of Social Work and Research (ISWAR) and the Department of Disability Affairs and other disabled people’s organisations hosted the Kalinga Car Rally. Flagging of the rally Bhubaneswar (North) MlA Priyadarshi Mishra said, “The car rally and the blind persons at the wheel is a live demonstration of strength and capabilities of Braille as a doted script which can navigate and support driving cars on the road.”
Sightsavers senior programme officer Akbar Mehfuz Alam said the event was an expression of blind persons’ independence and their ability through Braille script. Sanyas Behera of ISWAR urged both Union and State Governments to take proactive step in the development of Braille skills among the visually impaired persons which constitute significant human capital of the country. Attending the valedictory ceremony Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan hailed the initiatives of the organisers and also felicitated the blind car rally winner Susanta Patel, a student of the BJB Autonomous College.