Summary:
Murthy said the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act is in the final stages and will be notified soon, under which, 4% reservation will be notified for government jobs. Colva: World Disability Day was celebrated at Ravindra Bhavan in Margao on Saturday. Hearing aids, smart canes and wheelchairs among other aids were distributed under the Assistance to Disabled Persons Scheme.Social welfare minister Milind Naik said that his department would try and implement as many schemes as possible for the physically challenged. She said the act should be implement in all the states at the earliest to ensure that the rights of persons living with disabilities are safeguarded.Secretary for social welfare WVR Murthy said the Goa government, under the accessible India campaign, will make 31 buildings, including government buildings, beaches and parks disabled-friendly for which the Centre has sanctioned Rs 9 crore.The public works department is implementing agency for the project. Stating that there are some 33,000 physically challenged individuals in the state, Naik said giving assistance to only 446 was not sufficient and hoped to reached out to more.Secretary of department of empowerment of persons with disabilities Shakuntala Gamblin and joint secretary Prabodh Shet visited the state to promote the central government scheme.Shet emphasised the need for cochlear implants for children up to the age of six as it helps them adapt to the device as they grow.Gamblin said that the Centre had recently notified the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2017, and sent it to all states for approval..