Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar inaugurated ‘Samajik Adhikarita Shivir’

New Delhi,25th November: Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar inaugurated ‘Samajik Adhikarita Shivir’ for distribution aids and assistive devices to person with disabilities (Divyangjan) at Himmatnagar in Sabarkantha District of Gujarat, today in the presence of Shri Dipsinh Rathod, Member of Parliament, Sabarkantha, Smt. Ramila Ben Bara, Member of Parliament (Rajyasabha) local public representatives and senior officials from district administration.

The distribution camp at Himmatnagar (Sabarkantha) was interconnected online with the other camps conducted simultaneously at other 19 locations covering 09 states across the country for distribution aids and assistive devices to more than 50 thousand pre-identified Divyang beneficiaries under the ADIP scheme of Government of India.

The distribution camps were organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India through the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) a PSU under administrative control of DEPwD in association respective districts administration.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief guest union minister Dr. Virendra Kumar said that under the leadership of Prime Minister the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under our Ministry is implementing various centralized schemes for social, cultural, educational, and economic empowerment of Divyangjan and to create an inclusive and accessible environment for them to ensure their overall development.

Highlighting the achievements of the department Union Minister said that Central Government has laid great emphasis on using and adopting new technology in every sectors and accordingly the ministry has taken various initiatives for producing high quality aids and assistive devices for Divyangjan, he said the department is now focusing of 3D scanning technology for making more accurate and advanced prosthesis and instructed department to conduct 3D scanning camp in Sabarkantha district to provided artificial limbs, with this the district will be the first in the state to avail the benefit this technology.

In the series of distribution camps organized simultaneously at various location Kumari Pratima Bhaumik, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment attended the mega camp organized in Chhatrapati Sambhaji (Aurangabad) in Maharashtra and Shri A. Narayanaswamy attended the camp in Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh. Other locations of the distribution camp include Bongaigaon, Nagaon in Assam, Siwan, Jehanabad, Nalanda, Bhagalpur in Bihar, Valsad in Gujarat, Satara, Sangli, Yawatmal, Jalna in Maharashtra, Cuddalore in Tamilnadu, Malappuram in Kerala, Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Maldah in West Bengal.

Various types of assistive devices have been distributed, which includes Motorized tricycles, Hand Propelled Tricycles folding wheelchairs, walkers, walking sticks, Braille kits, rollators, B.T.E. hearing aids, C.P. chairs, Sensor based electronic Sugamya canes, smartphones, Braille Kits, A.D.L. kits (aids for leprosy), and artificial limbs and calipers for persons with disabilities.

The objective of organizing these camps is to build a perspective for an inclusive society across the country, ensuring empowerment and dignified living for persons with disabilities and senior citizens. The aim is to provide equal opportunities for the persons with disabilities, allowing them to lead productive, secure, and dignified lives.These assistive devices aim to make beneficiaries self-reliant and empower them to integrate into the mainstream of society.