Kuldeep Kumar, Industries and Cooperative Minister today presided over the State level International Disability Day organized by the Social Justice and Empowerment Department here today. He said that the State Government was committed to help the weaker sections of the society and various welfare schemes had been started to provide help to vulnerable sections of the society.
Shri Kuldeep Kumar said that State government was spending Rs. 59.40 crore on various welfare schemes in the State. He gave a clarion call to the people especially the voluntary organizations working for the upliftment of the weaker sections to come forward to supplement the government’s efforts in this direction.
He said that the disabled persons were the part and parcel of our society and the need of hour was to change our mental attitude towards them and efforts should be made to include them in the mainstream of nation building.
Shri Kuldeep Kumar said that under the able and farsighted leadership of Shri Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, social welfare had been given added priority and 48 percent of the total budget was being spent on this vital sector. He said that State had been adjudged at the top in education, health, social and human infrastructure.
He said that free education was being provided to disabled persons upto university level. He said that 64,772 disabled and destitute persons had been identified in the State and out of which 46,720 persons had been issued disability identity cards. He said that the Government had upgraded the Deaf and Dumb School at Shimla and Sundernagar to provide education to the inmates upto 10th standard. He said that Vocational Rehabilitation Centres had been set up at Una where vocational training was being started to upgrade their skills. He said that a District Disability Rehabilitation Centre at Chamba to be set up this year. He said that the Government had set up State level Disability Board under the chairmanship of Chief Minister.
Shri Kuldeep Kumar honoured Shri Deep Sharma who brought laurels to the State in Deaf and Dumb Cricket Tournament at international level. He also released the poetry book written by Kumari Poonam on this occasion.
