State observes International Day of PwD
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR

Imphal, December 03 2021: The International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 2021 was observed today under the theme "Leadership and Participation of Persons with Disabilities toward an Inclusive, Accessible and Sustainable Post - COVID-19 World" at Maharaj Chandrakirti Auditorium, Palace Compound.

The event was jointly organised by the Department of Social Welfare & Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manipur.

Deputy Commissioner, Imphal West, Th Kirankumar, Additional CEO, Manipur N Praveen Singh, State Commissioner for PwDs, Th Dilipkumar Singh, Director, Social Welfare, Ng Uttam Singh, and president, Theatre Centre, Manipur, Naba Wareppa graced the occasion as chief guest, president and guests of honour respectively.

Addressing the gathering, Th Kirankumar empha- sized on ensuring an equitable environment that will be accessible for all.

He suggested that an assumption based approach will not be effective.

He stressed on action oriented policies for inclusive growth.

N Praveen Singh stated that the specific needs of Differently-abled Persons should be considered and their innate abilities identified so that they may be given the right platforms.

He highlighted that various activities have been initiated for accessible elections to ensure that PwDs exercise their voting rights in the upcoming State Assembly Election, 2022 .

Till date, 13,827 PwDs have been marked in the electoral roll and it is expected that the number will increase in the final electoral roll which will be published on January 5, 2022, he asserted.

N Praveen also stated that marking of the PwDs will help in providing essential assistance on the poll day and make them avail the Assured Minimum Facility (AMF) in all the polling stations, facilitating them in casting their votes with ease.

During the observance, Ng Uttam stressed that this year's theme focuses on ensuring that the differently-abled people also have equal participation in the growth and progress of the society.

It is an initiative to impart relevant education amongst them to strengthen their ability, he added.

He also highlighted the efforts of various awareness programmes conducted by the Office of the CEO, Manipur to ensure inclusion of the PwDs in the upcoming election.

A Manipuri drama 'Traffic Jam' directed by Leishangthem Tonthoingambi Devi was presented during the observance.

The programme was attended by officials of CEO, Manipur, Social Welfare Department, teachers and students.

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