GUWAHATI, Sept 11 - Social Welfare Minister Pramila Rani Brahma today launched an online content to spread awareness about the rights of the differently able persons.
The digital content has been developed by Shishu Sarothi�for wider dissemination on online platforms.
The State Social Welfare Department, in collaboration with Shishu Sarothi, has taken up a programme for awareness generation on disability and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016, as mandated by Section 39 of the Act.
The Act mandates the State to encourage, support and promote awareness campaigns and sensitization programmes to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities as provided under the Act.
Since the enactment of the RPWD Act, this is the first such awareness initiative taken up by any state government on such a large scale. The short videos developed by the disability rights organisation lucidly explain the rights of persons with disabilities and the means to secure the same.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, the Minister said that due to its fast dissemination as well as wider reach among the masses, digital content on disability rights is the need of the hour.
�Both differently able members of society as well as others need to know about the rights of persons with disabilities, to stop any rights violation. Digital media, micro blogging sites, etc, would ensure that the short messages reach a large number of people within a short time. We would take similar initiatives in the future to sensitize government departments, private organisations, etc, so that the entire society develops a sensitive approach towards divyangjan,� she said.
On the issue of backlog of posts meant for the differently able persons, she said there was a backlog of almost 4,400 such posts. �Recently we have filled up some of the grade III posts and we are planning to fill up the grade IV posts towards the end of this month,� she added.
The awareness videos highlighted two key provisions in the Act � the need for accessible and barrier-free environment for persons with disabilities and the right to non-discrimination on the ground of disability.�Maintaining the social distancing protocol, the videos were launched on an online platform and also shared through Facebook.
The RPWD Act�is a powerful tool to protect and uphold the rights of persons with disabilities. These awareness videos endeavour to spread the message of the law far and wide at the grassroots.
