The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : Steps initiated to provide equipment to differently abled: Collector

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Tuesday, Feb 26, 2008
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Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Steps initiated to provide equipment to differently abled: Collector

Staff Reporter

— Photo: G. Moorthy

Lovely facility: R. Ishwarya, one of the beneficiaries, looking at the artificial limbs in Madurai on Sunday.

MADURAI: The administration has initiated steps to provide equipment and gadgets to the physically challenged, hearing and visually impaired in the district at a cost of Rs.1 crore in association with private enterprises and voluntary organisations, according to Collector S.S. Jawahar, here on Sunday.

Addressing the gathering at the free artificial limb distribution camp, he said that efforts were on to organise a loan mela bringing in financial institutions to provide hassle free bank loans to the deserving differently abled people.

He appealed to the private companies to come forward to develop infrastructure in schools and provide suitable employment to the physically challenged in their organisations. He promised that the district administration would be behind them in all their endeavours for the welfare of the society.

G. Vasudevan, Director, Hotel Fortune Pandiyan, said that as many as 59 limbs were distributed to the beneficiaries in the age group of 8 to 94 from Dindigul and Ramanathapuram apart from Madurai. Many of them had lost their limbs due to road accidents or medical reasons while some of them were born with birth defects.

“The limb frees the beneficiaries from the burden of carrying crutches and help them to walk, ride a bicycle or work in wet fields independently,” he said.

The cost of the limb was around Rs.4,000 and it might be costlier in the open market, said P. Delhi Babu, Orthotic Technician, Mukti Chennai.

The limbs would be light weight as they were made of high density polyethylene material he said and added that they would weigh around 1.5 kg to 2 kg depending upon the size.

The week-long camp was organised by the Honeywell Technology Solutions, Fortune Pandiyan Hotel, Madras Suspensions Limited, Rotary Club of Madurai West, Dr. Shyam of Srivatsav Orthocare and Deiva Socio Services along with Mukti, a Chennai-based non-governmental organisation.

S. Senthilnathan, unit head, Honeywell and Jacob Abraham, president, Rotary Club of Madurai West took part.

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