To ensure safety and security of the blind community in the State, the Institute for Social Work and Research (ISWAR) recommended a seven-point charter of demands to the State Government at a meeting held here on the occasion of the White Cane Day on Wednesday.
The demands included enforcement of the Supreme Court judgment for ensuring a three-per cent reservation in employment for persons with disability (PWDs), appointment of nodal officers in Government establishments as per the Supreme Court directives, filling up of the backlog and current vacant of posts for visually-impaired candidates as per the one- per cent reservation quota for them and instalment of sound signal in all traffic points in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and other major cities in the State, informed ISWAR general secretary Sanyas Kumar Behera .
Besides, the body also urged for appointment of orientation and mobility instructors in all special schools meant for visually-impaired children and investment of proper CSR share by every corporate house towards education, employment and rehabilitation of the visually-impaired. later, a rally was held to create awareness about safety and security of blind persons and sensitise police and the public about their cause and fulfil the international mandate of the UN. Hundreds of visually-impaired persons from several districts participated in the rally. The event was held in association with the Sightsavers India, District Red Cross, Khurda, Indian Red Cross Society, State Branch and the Directorate for Welfare of Persons with Disabilities.