Social Welfare Dept eyes disable policy
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 29 2019: The State Social Welfare Department has submitted a proposed list for the formation of a drafting committee for initiating the first draft for the formulation of a disable policy for the State.

The Department is also pursuing some private companies to invest/incur their CSR funding in works related to upgrading Government Ideal Blind School, Takyel, to higher secondary level.

Speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural function of 'Training of Visually Impaired Persons in Manipur on CCC & Soft Skill' which was organized by National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Imphal, at Government Ideal Blind School, Takyel, today, Social Welfare Director Ng Uttam admitted that Government run blind schools and deaf and dumb schools in the State lack proper infrastructure and requisite things.

The Director stated that the shortages cannot be filled up right now as the budget earmarked for the Social Welfare Department is low.

Further stating the shortages will have to be filled up gradually and in a step by step manner, Uttam conveyed that the Department has already submitted a proposed list of the drafting committee to make the first draft of the State's disable policy.

The demand upgrading Government Ideal Blind School to the status of higher secondary has been considered by the Social Welfare Department.

However, as the upgrading of the said school to higher secondary requires certain things such as building infrastructure and recruiting more teachers and staff, the Department is pursuing CSR funds from some private companies to be invested in works related to upgrading the school, he added.

He then asked the Headmistress and staff of Government Ideal Blind School to sort out which subjects ought to be initially opened and what infrastructure and requisite things are primarily needed for the process.

The Director also asserted that he has sent proposals to the State Government for considering diet allowance for Government Ideal Blind School and establishing separate directorate for disables in the State.

Maintaining that the Social Welfare Department is trying to procure some Braille machines for Government Ideal Blind School, he stated that all the websites of the State Government Departments will also be upgraded to a disable-friendly manner so that disabled people can access it whenever they need to.

Delivering the presidential speech at the function, NIELIT, Imphal, Executive Director Th Prameshwor Singh claimed that the institution has taken up an initiative to avail literatures/reading materials for blind people through on-line route in Manipuri language and the 80 percent of the task has been completed till now.

He said that the computer training programme which was inaugurated today at Government Ideal Blind School, Takyel is being organized as a part of digital literary course while informing that it has been postponed since the past many months owing to certain inconveniences like lack of Braille format reading materials and enforcement of Election Model Code of Conduct.

Noting that digitization throughout the country has made application of computer knowledge and related works like digital transaction quite important in day to day living, the NIELIT Executive Director stated that the computer training course is being taken up with the strong belief that blind persons can also reap the benefits of information technology advancement.

Handicapped Development Foundation, Imphal secretary general Dr S Jasowanta Singh lamented that the shortage of teachers in Government run blind school has caused many blind persons to complete their schooling without learning adequate knowledge.

He then appealed all blind students to earn as much knowledge as they can during the schooling period to become well knowledgeable and deserving persons in the future and to contribute to society.

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