The Hindu : New Delhi News : Helen Keller Awards announced

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 26, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Helen Keller Awards announced

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, NOV. 25. Giving recognition to those promoting the cause of employment among differently-abled people, the winners of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP)-Shell Helen Keller Awards 2004 were announced here today.

The awards will be presented by the Union Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, here on December 2, the eve of the World Disability Day. "There is reservation for disabled people in the public sector but not in the private sector. Even today, there is no thought process on this. The only thinking on these lines has been the Disability Act of 1996, which speaks about incentives being given to those private sector organisations who give more than 5 per cent employment to the disabled. Unfortunately, even after so many years, nothing has been done. These awards are an effort to give recognition to those role models who have made a difference and yet are not doing it for any rewards. They are true role models according to us,'' said Javed Abidi of NCPEDP.

Distributed into five categories, the winners include 10 individuals and three organisations. Among the Corporate category, National Thermal Power Corporation, Kinetic Engineering Limited and J.W. Marriot Hotel, Mumbai have been selected for the award. Awarded for the second time, NTPC has been maintaining a good record, informed Mr. Abidi. "Since 2001, they have scaled up drastically. There is a paradigm shift. In 2001, they had 125 disabled people working with them and now they have 335,'' he added.

Among the individual category, there are differently-abled and non-disabled people. These are from within the disability movement and from outside it. Interestingly, three of the awardees include Rigzian Sampheal, Lokesh Kumar and Ravi Arora. "These three many not be associated with activism in the disability sector. But they fought the system for opening up of civil services for disabled people. They have given other disabled people a chance in the civil services,'' said Mr. Abidi.

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