Feature Article: Int’l Day of Acceptance

Kathua : Amidst Covid-19 pandemic, when the challenges have become humongous for people in general and differently-abled in particular, District Administration Kathua is extending them the much needed handholding through “DivyangSahayak”.
In our daily life, we face various challenges which show us the limit of our human nature but overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. Keeping this in view, district administration has started distributing assistive devices to the needy persons at their doorsteps, said a DivyangSahayak.
Specially abled persons of far flung areas were compelled to travel to Government Offices for receiving the assistive devices/appliances but with the help of ‘DivyangSahayak’ volunteer, Social Welfare Department, under the aegis of District Administration Kathua, has provided them these aids at their doorsteps and brought Perceptible improvements in their life through systems interventions and building institutions.
The successful execution of an idea requires ample workforce/ resources and to bring the idea of DivyangSahayak into reality. The volunteers of NCC, NSS, youth clubs and NYK were roped in to make this dream come true. The intent behind the inclusion of volunteers was to make the initiative economically viable and practically feasible with optimum utilisation of available human resources.
The citizen centric initiative “DivyangSahayak” was virtually launched by LG Manoj Sinha on 19 August 2021 from Basohli.
After the launch of this initiative, as many as 89 specially-abled persons have been benefitted till date. Out of which 74 beneficiaries have been provided wheel chairs and hearing aid at their doorsteps, while 15 others have been provided motorised tricycles in collaboration with State Rehabilitation Council, Social Welfare Department, thus dispensing with the need for visiting the offices for getting the prosthetic aids.
Sudesh Kumar, a specially-abled person of village Buddhi, while sharing his experience, expressed gratitude towards district administration for lending him helping hand by providing Motorised tricycle at his place through DivyangSahayak. A tailor by profession, Sudesh Kumar rejoiced when he reminisces the moment of receiving the motorized tricycle from DivyangSahayak who he termed as “angels who have descended to pull him out of challenging times which have turned grave due to Covid Pandemic”.
District Social Welfare Officer, Kathua Abdul Rahim, while throwing light on the initiative of DivyangSahayak, said that the purpose of taking this initiative during Covid times was mainly to facilitate specially abled persons, who are amongst the most vulnerable groups and find it difficult to move out of their homes owing to their physical challenges.
Deputy Commissioner Kathua, Rahul Yadav while enlightening about the concept of DivyangSahayak said that the administration is making all out efforts to ease the lives of common man especially the people belonging to marginalised sections who are usually dependent on others for their mundane tasks. He said this initiative assumes more significance for the impuissant persons who are now feeling reinvigorated by efforts of the administration to provide prosthetic aids at their doorsteps. This step has further ameliorated their insecurities regarding getting exposed to Covid infections by ruling out the need for visiting the offices to get prosthetic aids.
This step of district administration is receiving lot of accolades from all the stakeholders viz a viz PHCs, Social Welfare Department, volunteers from NYK, Youth clubs, NCC and NSS and they are further taking the cause to every nook and corner of the district besides encouraging others to become a cog in the wheel of development for these marginalised sections of our society who are generally at the mercy of others.
The initiative of the District Administration is in consonance with the objective of celebrating “International Day of Acceptance” which is observed every year on 20 January to recognize social acceptance of disability and to provide a chance to celebrate abilities rather than disabilities.