Odisha government prints Braille calendar

Odisha Government has printed a calendar in Braille this year, considered to be a first of its kind in the state.
"Besides the days and dates, the calendar has the dates of important Hindu festivals, government holidays and information on different government schemes for persons with disabilities on the last four pages. Below most of the pages, we have printed quotes of eminent Odia poets," said Prakash Narayan Rath, the manager of the printing press.
The 32-pager calendar was printed in the Red Cross's computerised Braille printing press.
"In the first phase, we printed around 1,000 copies of the Odia Braille calendar in the first week of the month. In the second another 1,000 copies will be printed and sent to different organisations. The process is almost over and the calendar will be dispatched soon," Rath said.

"For the past several years, we would print the Odia Braille calendar on our own. The Odisha Blind Foundation paid for the printing in the last two years. This year, the social security and empowerment of persons with disabilities department has sponsored the printing of around 2,000 calendars," he said.
The cover page of the calendar has been printed in normal letters and by a general press, he said.
"The concept of the Odia Braille calendar was first mooted by us as visually impaired persons faced difficulty in reading the usual calendar," said Bijay Rath, founder of the Odisha Blind Foundation.

"We arranged printing of limited copies in the past. This time, we urged the government to print it. We thank the government for listening to us," he added.