Tamil Nadu - Dindigul   

"Time-bound action plan necessary"

Staff Reporter

GRI plans insurance cover for the disabled

DINDIGUL: An action plan with a specific execution period was essential to achieve a desirable goal in uplifting the physically disabled. Such a plan alone would help service organisations and educational institutions to identify the skills and talents of the disabled and upgrade them for sustainable development.

This was highlighted at an interactive session between students and disabled persons in service areas of Gandhigram Rural Institute to mark the World Disabled Day held at the GRI premises on Wednesday.

In his address, P. Murugesan, Project Officer, District Rural Development Agency, said competitions and sports events for physically disabled persons helped identify talents of the disabled. Universities should play a greater role in formulating and implementing programmes for disabled persons in remote villages.

Federation

A federation of physically disabled persons should be formed for organising self-employment programmes.

The DRDA would make all arrangements to extend financial assistance to self-help groups of disabled persons formed by the GRI, he said.

The Programme Coordinator, M.P. Boraian, said GRI, joining hands with insurance companies, has been exploring possibilities to provide insurance cover to the physically disabled. Data on disabled persons at village levels were not available. Creation of such data by Department of Rehabilitation would be useful for chalking out an action plan. The GRI has constituted 12 SHGs, including three SHGs of disabled men.

As advancement in science and technology promised remedies to certain deformities, the GRI has planned to launch a project to improve the wheel chair and create an equipment to enable disabled persons to board buses and trains and also to negotiate staircases with ease, he said.

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