The Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu has called for recognising the valuable human assets we have in people with disabilities and stressed the need for removing the stigma attached to disability.He said it was important that as a society we stand up to the needs of the less fortunate and create a congenial environment for persons with disabilities.Stating that eliminating discriminatory tendencies must become the first step in empowering the disabled, he said it should be the collective responsibility of the society, people and institutions to support Divyangjan and empower them to lead a dignified life.Shri Naidu said that India’s development story would be incomplete without ‘inclusion’ and harnessing the hidden potential of all people including the differently abled.Vice President attended a cultural event organized by the BhagwanMahaveerViklangSahayataSamiti (BMVSS) in Hyderabad today and lauded the efforts of the organization for providing Jaipur foot (artificial limb) to the persons with disabilities at an affordable price.Shri Naidu said that improving vocational training and employment opportunities for people with disability was a critical element for enhancing the quality of life for individuals with disability.
He appreciated the efforts of the government to empower them by providing skill training under “Skill India” initiative of Hon’ble Prime Minister.He called upon Government, Private Sector and NGOs to put in unified efforts to realize the target of skilling 2.5 Million PwDs (with 70% target employment) by 2022.Opining that employing persons with disability was also an important component in their empowerment, Shri Naidu said that 4% reservation provided by the government in Central Government jobs for persons with disabilities was a step in the right direction. He called upon the private sector and corporate India to take cue from this step and create more job opportunities for the less fortunate. He also urged them to include in their CSR activities the development of infrastructure accessible to persons with disabilities.The Vice President complimented noted Dancer Ms. SudhaChandran who gave Bharatanatyam performance at the cultural event and said that her dedication towards Dance, her extraordinary display of courage and persistence to realize the dream of becoming a dancer despite all odds, makes her a source of inspiration.