Aiming to ensure ease of access for persons with disabilities (PwDs) in Government buildings, public transportation and the information technology field, the Centre has lined up an ‘Accessible India Campaign’ which is to be launched next month by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The nationwide flagship initiative will be inaugurated on ‘International Day of Persons with Disabilities’ on December 3.
The PM will also present awards to individuals/organisations for “outstanding” contributions towards the empowerment of PwDs during an event on the same day.
As part of “inclusive” activities that it is undertaking in order to empower PwDs, the Government will also hold an international film festival — which is being billed as the first of its kind to showcase movies dealing with the lives of PwDs.
Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Thaawar Chand Gehlot, will inaugurate the three-day film festival, which begins on Tuesday at Siri Fort auditorium here.
“The prime minister will launch the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan (Accessible India Campaign) and also hand over the national awards. The campaign is aimed at making three verticals disabled-friendly: built environment, public transport sector and IT field. “We have taken various important parameters into consideration and involved all important stakeholders for taking this campaign forward,” lov Verma, secretary of the ministry’s department of persons with disabilities, told reporters here.
Verma added that the ministry is making efforts to ensure that, by the same period, 10 per cent of Government-owned public transport carriers in the country become fully accessible.