In a curtain raiser to the series of events to be held on December 3, 2015, to mark the ‘International Day of Persons with Disabilities,’ the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, officially informed about the impending launch of their nation-wide flagship campaign the Accessible India Campaign and the presentation of ‘National Awards for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, 2015’. This event also marked the preview of the ‘First International Film Festival for Persons with Disabilities (IFFPwD), 2015’ being organised by the department at Siri Fort in collaboration with the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC).
Speaking on the occasion, secretary, DEPwD, MoSJE, lov Verma, said that this time December 3 has a special significance for the department, as the day will not only commemorate the champions of disability through the National Awards but will also bear witness to the launch of the Accessible India Campaign by the hands of Prime Minister of India. In his latest Mann Ki Baat address to the nation the P M had saluted the indomitable spirit of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), who have overcome overwhelming odds to etch successful life stories.
As a potential game-changer to widen the scope of accessibility throughout the country, Verma marked the launch of Sugamya Bharat Abhyan - a nation-wide flagship campaign for achieving universal accessibility for PwDs - as an important step towards equal rights of PwDs leading to their equal participation in all activities of society - social, economic and political. Shedding further light on the scope of inclusive activities being carried out by the Department, DEPwD, also briefed the audience on the one-of-a-kind International Film Festival as an effort to showcase cinema that opens our world to mind space of PwDs. He thanked the Hans Foundation and AlIMCO, co-partners for IFFPwD 2015, and urged all stakeholders present in the audience to participate in the above series of events lined up by DEPwD, to encourage and motivate the PwDs and make these events a thundering success.