Prime Minister #NarendraModi distributes aids and assistive devices at Varanasi Samajik Adhikarita Shivir

The historic city of Benaras was today witness to one of the biggest ever ‘Samajik Adhikarita Shivir’ (Distribution of Aids and Assistive Devices Camp) organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. Executed by the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation Limited (ALIMCO), the Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fittings of Aids/Appliances (ADIP Scheme) event was held at the Sports Ground of the Diesel Locomotive Works at Varanasi. Hon’ble Prime Minister and Member of Parliament, Varanasi, Shri Narendra Modi was the chief Guest on this historic occasion and was joined on the stage by Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, GoI; Shri Kalraj Mishra, Minster for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, GoI; Shri Manoj Sinha, Minister of State for Railways, Government of India; Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar and Shri Vijay Sampla – Ministers of State for Social Justice and Empowerment; Shri Balram Yadav, Minister for Secondary Education, Govt of Uttar Pradesh.
The Prime Minister was welcomed on stage by children who had undergone Cochlear Implants and had recently shown signs of speech. He then distributed various aids and assistive devices like laptops, tablets, Smart Canes, Daisy Player, Smart phone with magnifier, Braille Kit, Behind-the-ear Hearing Aid, Motorized tricycle, rough terrain wheelchair, rough rider wheelchair, ADL kits for leprosy cured persons, Training certificate to NHFDC beneficiary, E-card of Niramaya Health Insurance Scheme from the National Trust and sewing machines provided by the Loomba Foundation. The Prime Minister saluted the indomitable spirit of the beneficiaries and said that his Government would be always devoted to the service of the poor and downtrodden. Appreciating the efforts of the Ministry and its officials in making ADIP a hugely popular government scheme he said that these Camps will cover the entire country. He also credited the ADIP camps of having eliminated the role of middlemen thereby ensuring that the benefits reach directly to the beneficiaries. Saying that it is the collective responsibility of the society to take care of the persons with disabilities, he invoked everyone to come forward and be part of the effort. DEPwD flagship Campaign ‘Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan’ also came under praise by the Prime Minister as he reiterated that the existing infrastructure needs to be made accessible for everyone. Shri Modi said that using ‘Divyang’ in place of ‘viklang’ will gradually bring a change in the attitude of the society.
Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, who welcomed the Prime Minister, announced that a University devoted entirely to the Persons with disabilities will soon be set up in Kerala. Expressing his happiness over the success of conducting one of the largest ever beneficiary camps, here at Varanasi, he said that the Ministry is also in the process of implementing a Universal disability Identity Card (UDID) for PwDs.
The Scheme of Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fittings of Aids/Appliances (ADIP Scheme) is in operation since 1981 and was revised w.e.f.1.4.2014.The main objective of the scheme is to provide grants-in-aid to the various implementing agencies such as National Institutes, Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), District Disability Rehabilitation Centres, State Handicapped Development Corporations/other local bodies, NGOs etc. to assist the needy disabled persons in procuring durable, sophisticated and scientifically manufactured, modern, standard aids and appliances to promote physical, social and psychological rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities by reducing the effects of disabilities and at the same time enhance their economic potential. The scheme also envisages conduct of corrective surgeries, whenever required, before providing an assistive device.
Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India, (ALIMCO) a 100% owned Govt. of India Central Public Sector – under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities – is a major implementing agency under the ADIP Scheme. ALIMCO has conducted need assessment camps of PwDs residing in Varanasi district with the focus to cover maximum population of PwDs specially from distant rural areas. The assessments have been conducted with the help of District Administration in two phases i.e. Phase –I from 19 to 23 Jan. 2015 in 08 blocks and Phase-II from 16 to 28 August 2015 covering all the blocks once again and at Kashi Vidyapeeth Campus in Varanasi. A total number of 9,096 (Nine thousand and ninety six) beneficiaries have been identified in above camps. These beneficiary PwDs are to be given a total number of 25,840 appliances at an estimated cost of Rs.6.79 crores (appox.). Besides these 300 beneficiaries from NHFDC (National Handicapped Finance Corporation) will be provided skill training and loans and also 47 beneficiaries will be provided with health insurance policy under ‘Niramaya’ scheme by the National Trust.
The items distributed in Varanasi include both conventional aids required for daily independent living like crutches, walking stick, wheelchairs, tricycles, hearing aids etc., as also the High-end-devices aimed at imparting education, training, and information technology awareness and to serve as direct or indirect means for self-employment and enhancing living conditions in general. An ALIMCO product catalogue containing details of various aids/assistive devices is attached with the release. The numbers and types of aids distributed on the occasion by various organisations/ Institutes under the Ministry are given below.
ALIMCO:
3674 Tricycles
905 Wheelchair
1880 Crutches
871 Walking Stick
880 Braille cane
446 MSIED Kit
7 Cerebral Palsy Kit
323 Braille Slate
92 BrailleKit
309 Rollator (Adult and Child)
120 ADL Kit Leprosy
70 Smartphones with Screen Reader
26 Smartphones with Magnifier
56 Tablet for Visually Handicapped
26 Daisy Player for Visually Handicapped
13 Rough Terrain Wheelchair
8 Active Wheelchair
2411 Tricycle attachment per clip

NIMH:
353 Teaching and Learning Material Kit
20 Laptop

NIHH:
2490 Hearing Aid – Digitally Programmable BTE Hearing Aid

ADIP has been a hugely popular scheme for rehabilitation of persons with disabilities and has covered a large extent of the population with more than 1800 Camps conducted yearly on an average with approximately 1.50 lakh beneficiaries being provided with aids and assistive devices. ADIP Scheme has so far covered 26 districts in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
The Prime Minister also flagged off the state-of-the-art ‘Mahamana Express’ (Varanasi-Lucknow-Delhi) train at the occasion. The Camp also saw 500 sewing machines distributed by The Loomba Foundation for the widows in Varanasi. Lord and lady Loomba –founders of The Loomba Foundation, Shri Lov Verma, Secretary DEPwD, Joint Secretary Shri Awanish Kumar Awasthi, other senior officials from the Ministry, state government, district administration were also present at the occasion.