The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Physically-challenged persons to get one lakh jobs in private sector

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Monday, Jan 21, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Physically-challenged persons to get one lakh jobs in private sector

Staff Reporter

Union Minister distributes assistive devices at a camp

Rs. 1,800 crores allocated for the purpose
23 distribution camps conducted so far

Kakinada: The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has given the nod for providing one lakh jobs for the physically challenged in the private sector. For this, it made an allocation of Rs. 1,800 crores in the last budget, to be spent in the 11th Five Year Plan on provident fund and other statutory contributions to be made by the companies for employees. This will be a continuous process aimed at helping the physically challenged in achieving financial autonomy.

Announcing this at the 24th assistive devices distribution camp conducted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) and the Army Wives’ Welfare Association (AWWA) at the JNTU Engineering College stadium here on Saturday, the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan said there were 2.19 crore physically-challenged persons in the country as per the 2001 Census and combined efforts were being made along with the AWWA to put an end to their travails. The camps are being conducted as part of the mission called ‘Ability beyond disability’ conceived by AWWA president Kirti Kapoor to spread awareness about welfare measures for the physically challenged and how they could avail themselves of the benefits.

Union Minister of State for Defence and Kakinada MP M.M. Pallamraju said that the MoSJE till now organised 23 such camps in some of the remotest areas of the country such as Kargil and Drass in Jammu and Kashmir and Tawang and Zero in Arunachal Pradesh. Assistive devices were being distributed by institutes like the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) and National Institute of Visually Handicapped.

Equipment worth Rs. 33 lakhs were distributed to about 2,500 beneficiaries in yesterday’s camp in Kakinada.

The Department for Disabled Welfare and Nittala Satyavati Foundation made necessary arrangements.

District Collector M. Subrahmanyam, MLAs Mutha Gopalakrishna and Dommeti Venkateswarulu were among those present.

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