Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha inaugurated a mass distribution drive of aids and appliances for Divyangjan, in Jammu today. In his address, the Lieutenant Governor lauded the noble initiative by Directorate of Social Welfare, Jammu under two key centrally sponsored schemes - Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) and Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP) aimed to improve lives of senior citizens with disabilities and to empower Divyangjan.
“I strongly believe that people with disabilities have special abilities and they possess unique strengths and perspectives. I admire their exceptional resilience, problem-solving skills and empathy towards others in the society.
I assure our Divyangjan that administration is committed to ensure equality and equal opportunity to them in every sphere of life and they will always be treated as equals in terms of rights, access, and dignity,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
The Lieutenant Governor directed the officials to promote inclusion, and leverage the practical solutions in ever evolving technological world. “I have always dreamt of building a caring society and welfare and rehabilitation of Divyangjan is my top priority.
It is my personal commitment to ensure dignity of life to our Divyangjan and their participation in all walks of life,” the Lieutenant Governor said. The Lieutenant Governor, in his address, reiterated the commitment of Government of India and J&K UT Administration to fairness and opportunity tailored to individual needs of the senior citizens.
“I will personally ensure that systemic inequities and accessibility barriers—physical, digital, and social are completely removed,” he further said. On the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor initiated the disbursement of pension arrears of Rs. 6.14 crore to 12,660 beneficiaries, under the Integrated Social Security Scheme (ISSS).
The arrears were pending due to Aadhaar non-seeding, aimed at ensuring financial inclusion and support to elderly, widows, and differently-abled individuals. The Lieutenant Governor also informed that the Social Welfare Department is coming up with a revolutionary app for the integration of eligible senior citizens into the pension beneficiaries.
He inaugurated a 50-bedded Half-Way Home for psycho-social rehabilitation of treated & controlled people with mental-illness, established at a cost of Rs. 4.39 crore at Lower Chowadi Jammu, under Deendayal Divyangjan Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS).
The Half-way home will offer a structured environment to help individuals with mental illness who have been discharged from hospitals or institutions to reintegrate into society. He also assured all support and assistance to the Divyangjan by the Social Welfare Department for their self-employment endeavours.
He further asked the officials to submit the proposal to the Government of India for establishment of a park dedicated for Divyangjan. The Lieutenant Governor also dedicated the Parisha Child Care Institution for Girls, established at a cost of Rs. 3.03 crore at Mandi Gurglian, Samba.
He commended the efforts of everyone associated with the Parisha initiative for providing a safe and nurturing environment for a better future for girl children in need. Pertinently, the Directorate of Social Welfare Jammu, in collaboration with ALIMCO (Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India), has conducted 112 assessment camps in all ten districts of Jammu Division.
2939 persons with disabilities under the ADIP scheme, and 2756 senior citizens under the RVY scheme, culminating in a total of 5918 identified beneficiaries, will receive more than 19,960 aids and appliances during the mass distribution drive.
Members of Legislative Assembly- Shri Sham Lal Sharma, Shri Arvind Gupta, Shri Gharu Ram, Shri Yudhvir Sethi, and Shri Surinder Kumar; Shri Ramesh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Shri Rupesh Kumar, Director Social Welfare Department Jammu, senior officials, Divyangjan, representatives of various NGOs and civil society members were present.