Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment has said that the Government of India is fully committed to the welfare of Divyangjans and several new initiatives have been taken for their welfare during last three years under the leadership of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Inclusion of people with Intellectual and Developmental disabilities (IDDs) in our fabric of society is essential and can only be achieved with a higher level of commitment. He was addressing at the “Inclusive India Initiative-2017” organized by the National Trust for the welfare of persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment here today. He said that the categories of Divyangjans have been increased from Seven to Twenty One so that more Divyangjans may be benefitted with the welfare schemes of the Government. For the first time, the Pre Matric, Post Matric and Foreign scholarships for the Divyangjans have been started. Now Divyangjans have been given Four percent reservation in Jobs on Government departments and Five percent reservation has been given in higher education. He applauded the efforts of the National Trust.

Smt. Smriti Irani, Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Textiles in her address said that the Counselling of parents and family members of Divyangjans is very important and the eco-system of the Divyangjans should be strengthened. It is very important for all Divyangjans to know about the various welfare schemes of the Government for them and for this inclusive information is necessary. Educational institutions nationwide including in rural areas should also be sensitized about the welfare measures for the Divyangjans. She opined that the Career Counselling for Divyangjans should also be give due importance. Prime Minister’s Mudra Yojana should also be used for this purpose. She assured all support and cooperation of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting including Doordarshan and All India Radio for publicizing all the schemes related to Divyangjans.

Shri Vinay Sahastrabuddhe, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Shri Kamlesh Kumar Pandey, Chairman, National Trust and Shri Mukesh Jain, CEO, National Trust were present. The Inclusive India Summit was attended by distinguished personalities like- Mr. Vivek Oberoi , Bollywood Actor and Brand Ambassador of Accessible India Campaign of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Social Justice & Empowerment; Mr. Shekhar Gupta, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, The Print; Mr. Yuri Afanasiev, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident representative; Smt. Deepa Malik, 2016 Paralympics Champion; Sh. Shekar Naik, Indian Blind Cricket Team; Mr. Pattu Keswani, Chairman and Managing Director, Lemon Tree Hotels; Mr. Vipin Kumar, Director, National Innovation Foundation; Ms. Ira Singhal, differently-abled UPSC Topper, 2014; and Mr. Muzaffar Ali, Indian film maker and poet.

Inclusive India Initiative is a mass awareness campaign of the National Trust aimed at reducing the barriers for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, by making the workplaces, public zones and educational institutes more inclusive and accessible. Aligned with the goals of the United Nations Convention for the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD), this initiative aims at full participation by persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (PwIDDs) in their schools, colleges, communities and workplaces. The initiative was launched on 6.6.2017 by the Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister of Social Justice& Empowerment. Since the launch, National Trust is on a voyage to conduct successful inclusion activities across India, in the core areas of Education, Employment and Community Life.

As part of its Inclusive India Campaign launched on June 6th 2017, National Trust has organized Inclusive India Summit, an iconic forum for thought leaders to ideate and find concrete solutions, for the brighter future of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (PwIDDs) in India. The Inclusive India Summit brings the celebrated leaders from diverse fields at one platform and will channelize energies to enable positive change for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (PwIDDs).

Inclusive India Summit, where the Thought Leaders from various sectors of country converge at a forum to discuss, debate issues and enable change for the brighter future of persons with intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (PwIDDs). Inclusion of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDDs) in our fabric of society is essential and needs a higher level of commitment. The Inclusive India Summit brought the identified Thought Leaders from various sectors at one platform and the energy will be channelized to enable positive change.

The Summit features ground-breaking ideas, innovative experiences and success stories and thought-provoking discussions. It is an amalgamation of the finest experts from the country, thought leaders who analyse the economic developments, political leaders and policy makers who shape our future and entertainers who leave a lasting impression on our mind.

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Sanjay Kumar/jk/SJ&E/12-09-2017