11th Fortnight Barrier Free Campaign launched
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 17 2018: 11th Fortnight Barrier Free Campaign - 2018 was launched today at Manipur Press Club, Majorkhul, Imphal.

The campaign which will end on October 31 was launched today with a workshop under the theme "Break Barriers, Minimize Disabilities" .

The campaign is being organised jointly by Barrier Free Campaign Committee, Handicapped Development Foundation, Manipur, State Platform of Disable People's Organisation, Manipur and Parents Guardian Council of Persons with Disabilities, Manipur in association with State Commission for the Persons with Disabilities and Chief Electoral Office, Government of Manipur.

Speaking at the inaugural function, Acting Chairperson Manipur Human Right Commission Khaidem Mani stated that the campaign will diffuse awareness to the people about rights and protection of disabled persons.

The campaign will teach near and dear ones of people with disabilities to better take care and protect them, he said.

Meanwhile a statement of the Joint Chief Electoral Officer, has informed that Imphal West has the highest number of persons with disabilities (PwDs) with a total count of 5,692 people while Imphal East has second largest number of PwDs with 5,203.Bishnupur has 1,877, Thoubal has 2,586, Chandel has 777, Ukhrul has 1,164, Senapati has 221, Tamenglong has 570 and Churachandpur has 915 PwDs (Disabilities includes all categories such as blind, locomotor disability, hearing impaired, mentally retarded, mentally impaired, autism, cerebral palsy, mentally illness etc.).

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer is taking up various steps for ensuring adequate and quality facilities for PwDs during electoral activities.

The office is in the process of identifying PwDs in all the polling stations.

Special camps for enrolment and sentisizations of PwDs are underway, said the statement of the Joint Chief Electoral Officer.

The names of PwDs would be mapped and the list will be made available to the BLOs.

Elaborate instructions on PwD will be prepared and the same will be put on display outside the polling stations.

Assured Minimum Facility (AMF) will be ensured for PwD voters at every polling stations and Braille facility for identifying candidates (know your candidates) will be made available, said the statement.

Khaidem Mani, Acting Chairperson Manipur Human Right Commission, Dr RK Kumarjit Singh, State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Dr Thokchom Chandramani Singh former chief resource person, CTEL, MHRD, Department of Higher Eiducation, Government of India, Dr Ch Rupachaudra Singh, chairman HD Foundation, Manipur, Willem De Vries, chairman of the Foundation Innocent Smile and Els Veekens, Senior Lecturer, University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, The Netherlands secretary of the Foundation Innocent Smile attended the launching ceremony as presidium members.

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