The winners of National Abilympics for people with disabilities held here will receive cash prizes, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot said today.
The winners at the event will get Rs 21,000 each, whereas the second and third place holders will get Rs 15,000 and Rs 11,000 respectively, he announced at the inauguration of 4th National Abilympics here.
Abilympics are the vocational skill competitions for persons with disabilities to enable them to showcase and enhance their talent. This year, the event will be held on 3rd Nov at NITTTR Chandigarh.
The Minister said that the Centre will provide all possible assistance to bring the people with disabilities lead a normal life.
"Each individual has some ability/talent and the need is to bring it out through education and training. Such people need to be inspired and their talent promoted," Gehlot said.
The BJP leader elaborated on the various schemes of the NDA government which are meant to facilitate treatment of disability, providing them financial aid for equipments, education and vocational training so that such persons come to parity with others and lead a normal life, without pity from any quarters.
The Ministry, he said, will try to bring on board the corporate sector also for the cause of those with disabilities, by including it in their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.
He stressed that the Ministry will also look at the possibility of holding the International Abilympics in India in the future.
Holding Abilympics not only provides hope to people with disabilities, but also takes the cause of their inclusive-ness with the main stream, Secretary, Department of Disability Affairs, Stuti Kacker said.
She expressed hope that at the next International Abilympics in 2016, India will come out with flying colours.
We would work to raise the number of participants from the present 450 to 4000 and in due course to 4 lakhs, she added.
International Abilympics were first held in Japan in 1981. In India, this is the fourth National Abilympics, which is being held for three days.
Over 400 contestants and 150 organisations are taking part in 33 different skill contests in this Event.
The Indian team for International Abilympics 2016 will be selected based on the performance in the National Abilympics.
