Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to create a world record next week in his Parliamentary constituency Varanasi when he hands over aids and devices like hearing implants, laptops and smart canes worth `8 crore to over 8,000 differently-abled people. The Prime Minister will inaugurate the two-day mega free disability service camp
on January 22 where a total of 25,840 appliances will be distributed to the beneficiaries from the district.
Sources in the Union Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment said that the Government has written to the Guinness World Records officials to note the number of tricycles and hearing aids to be distributed at the event.
“The Ministry has sent an application to the Guinness World Records. Their officials are yet to convey their approval,” they said.
This is for the first time that so many appliances will be distributed to several beneficiaries, sources said, quoting Ministry officials who are busy with preparations to make the mega event a success.
The items proposed to be distributed include both conventional aids required for daily living like crutches, walking stick, wheelchairs, tricycles and hearing aids as also high-end devices such as Daisy players and ‘tablet PCs’ aimed at imparting education, training and information technology awareness and to serve as direct or indirect means for self employment.
Daisy player is an instrument for low vision/visually-challenged people who can access written text or a word file in sound form with the help of special software which coverts text to speech while tablets and smart phones with screen reading software will help blind students of Class 9-12 to improve their performance in education, said the sources.
Mobility devices will include battery-operated motorised tricycles, rough-terrain wheelchairs, artificial limbs, below and above knee prosthesis, said the sources, adding the funding will be jointly held through the Department of Persons with Disabilities and Modi’s MPlAD fund.
The beneficiaries have been identified after detailed need assessment camps conducted by the Artificial limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (AlIMCO), a PSU, covering eight blocks and one urban area in Varanasi in the past few months.
At the event, the AIlMCO will also exhibit all the new aids and assistive devices manufactured by it while 500 sewing machines to skill-train widows of Varanasi will also be distributed by philanthropists of UK-based global NGO, loomba Foundation.