NAHARLAGUN, Jan 19: Delivering his keynote address at the two-day training programme here at the Oju Welfare Association (OWA) on Tuesday, National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disability (NIEPID) NE Coordinator Ganesh Sheregar observed that people with special abilities or divyangjans  have equal rights to life like all other common citizens in the country.
He said that the government of Arunachal Pradesh in response to official letters had informed the NIEPID that there were no divyangjans in the state. “But while venturing into the state for the first time in 2015-16 it found around 16 divyangjans and issued certificates to them to avail various central government schemes,” he said. There are nine such schemes for empowering the divyangjans, but Arunachal is the only state in India where no such schemes are operational, he said with regret, adding however that the present Union Social Justice & Empowerment Secretary Shakuntala D. Gamlin has assured to provide land at Aalo for setting up a Composite Training Centre (CTC) for the divyangjans. Sheregar further announced that NIEPID will provide computers, lab and furniture for two classrooms for training 25 divyangjans if the land is made available to set up the centre. Appreciating the OWA for rendering humanitarian services, Sheregar said that the training centre could be set up in OWA as its services are unparalleled across India.   “Senior officers were giving false information to the Centre about human rights issues,” Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR) Gumri Ringu as chief guest said, adding that All Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society (APWWS) had campaigned for decades to facilitate setting up of many constitutional bodies like APSCPCR and APSCW.  The APSCPCR though has 48 branches across the state will conduct a survey soon to assess if the rights of the children are protected or not, she added. Speaking as guest of honour, Senior journalist Pradeep Kumar recalled how Binny Yanga had started with an Adult Education and Nursery Centre in 1979 to serve the weaker, suppressed and oppressed girls and women of society.  Although she died in 2015, her presence is very much felt at the OWA, he added.
Highlighting the  activities of OWA, chairperson Ratan Anya said she is committed to the welfare of the three children who are orphans. One of them was sent to NIEPID, whose training at a cost of Rs 7,000 pm brought dramatic improvement,  she said, adding that it actually prompted her to conceive the idea of starting a CTC.  The guests also handed over 12 sets of teaching-learning material of the NIEPID on the occasion.

---

Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

<< Back to News List