Bhubaneswar: The state department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) has planned to make all government buildings barrier-free to aid the differently abled.
In a recent meeting of the State Advisory Committee of the department under the chairmanship of SSEPD Minister Ashok Chandra Panda, it was decided that all government buildings in the state will be made accessible to people from all walks of life. Work for the same will be done in phases and in a time-bound manner.
Earlier, under the Accessible India Campaign of the Union government, some government buildings and public offices in the state capital were selected to be converted into barrier-free buildings. Later the Supreme Court also asked the states to take prerogatives to make the public buildings accessible to all and make arrangements to facilitate the differently-abled.
The SSEPD department, in its latest meeting, has decided that all these public buildings will undergo retro fitting to ensure added amenities are given to such buildings which can create an enabling environment for a hassle-free access to such institutions.
Construction of ramps, tactile planes, handles, Braille-based name plates and boards are some of the features used in an accessible building to make it fit for use for people living with different forms of disabilities.
The department has also taken a number of other decisions for the welfare of the differently abled. It has exhorted the officials to ensure the ground level implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
The department has also resolved to ensure reservation for persons with disabilities in higher education, employment and all poverty alleviation measures of the government. It has also been decided that incentives will be given to private sector to ensure that at least 5 per cent of their work force is composed of differently abled persons, creation of accessible websites ensuring accessibility of documents and development of Odia language software.
It has also been decided to ensure access to service in banking and other financial institutions, educational curriculum and institutions. The department has also decided to engage special educators in all schools and establishment of Equal Opportunity Cells in all colleges and universities. It has also mandated to operate a special counter for persons with benchmark disability on each RTO office.
