Union minister Thawar Chand Gehlot Friday said persons with disabilities are an integral part of society and district disability rehabilitation centres (DDRCs) will be strengthened nationwide to bring them into the mainstream.
The minister for social justice and empowerment said this while delivering the inaugural address at the 'National Conference on District Disability Rehabilitation Centre (DDRCs)' organised by the disability division of his ministry.
Gehlot said DDRCs provide comprehensive services to persons with disabilities and facilitate creation of infrastructure and capacity building at the district level for awareness generation, rehabilitation and training of rehabilitation professionals.
He claimed his ministry has got worldwide recognition in the field of rehabilitation of disabled persons over the past four-and-half-years and has six records in the Guinness Book of World Records to its credit.
The minister said that Universal Identity Cards for persons with disabilities are being prepared, which will be valid nationwide for availing all benefits meant for them.
Gehlot said that all multi-storeyed government buildings, railway stations, airports and bus stands are being made accessible for such people with lifts, ramps and escalators under the 'Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan'.
Also, under the Rights of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, the types of disabilities have been increased from existing 7 to 21 and reservation for disabled persons in government jobs has been increased from 3 per cent to 4 per cent and reservation for disabled students in higher education from 3 per cent to 5 per cent.
More than 7,300 camps have been organised by the ministry nationwide for distribution of assistive devices and equipment to such people in the last more than four years. The ministry has also arranged cochlear implant surgeries for 1,300 hearing impaired children.
He called upon all sections of society to come forward to help bring such people into the mainstream to optimise their full potential.
The conference was organized for spreading the message of DDRCs, which play a crucial and central role for the wellbeing of persons with disabilities and to give clarification about the mechanism of schemes and disseminate the success stories.
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