President Presents ‘National Awards for Divyangjan Empowerment -2017’ on International Day of Persons with Disabilities

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Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
03-December-2017 14:25 IST

The President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind presented the “National Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan)-2017” at a function organized by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities here today. On this occasion, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister of States for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar and Shri Ramdas Athawale also graced the occasion.

On International Day of Persons with Disabilities i.e. 3^rd December, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment presents National Awards to Individuals, Institutions, Organisations, State/District etc for their outstanding achievements and work done towards empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. The National Awards were presented in 14 main categories. Within stipulated date, out of these 14 categories, 984 applications were received from 13 categories. Four Scrutiny Committees constituted by the Department as per the rules had scrutinized the nominations and their recommendations were considered by the National Selection Committee. The National Selection Committee met on 10^th and 16^th November and recommended 52 persons / institutions for the awards.

Addressing the gathering, the President said that the future of the country depends on ensuring all citizens have the capacity to realise their full potential. To achieve this goal, we have to create a sensitive and harmonious society, where every person feels empowered – and a society of empathy, where one person feels the pain of another.

He said that our Constitution guarantees equality, freedom, justice and dignity to all citizens, including the Divyang. The Government has enacted laws for the empowerment, inclusion and mainstreaming of differently-abled persons. No Divyang person should be evaluated by his or her physical ability, but by his or her intellect, knowledge and courage.

The President congratulated the award winners and said he was optimistic they would inspire other differently-abled persons to strive to reach new heights. He also expressed confidence that citizens of our country will build an inclusive New India, with an appropriate and sensitive approach to our Divyang fellow Indians.

In his address, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot said that India has achieved historic achievements during past three and half years and many Guiness Book World Records have been established by our Divyangjans. 8589 ADIP camps were organized and more than 9 lakhs Divyangjans have been provided Equipments and Assistive devices and 4000 Motorized Tricycles have also been provided. During the same period, the amount of scholarships and aids to Divyangjans have also been raised. He opined that Divyangjans are very talented. In the field of Sports, they have made remarkable achievements. He called upon people to actively participate in the propagation and publicity of several useful schemes of the government meant for Divyangjans. Under the able guidance of the Prime Minster, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has become popular worldwide.

According to Census 2011, there are 2.68 crore persons with disabilities in our country who exhibit great diversity in terms of quantum of disability as well as types of disabilities. To give focussed attention to the schemes and programmes for empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, a new Department under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment came into existence during the year 2012. Since then, a number of new schemes and programmes for the empowerment of persons with disabilities have been added. On the other hand, the financial outlay for the department is also going up every year. The existing schemes of the department have been reviewed and in case of many modifications have been made. Receiving of applications under two major scheme is on-line and the same are processed, funds sanctioned through the electronic mode.

The history of National Awards goes back to 1969, when Awards in only two categories were instituted by the Government of India with the objective to focus public attention on issues concerning persons with disabilities and to promote their mainstreaming in society. The National Awards for empowerment of persons with disabilities have been notified in the year 2013. Now there are 14 broad categories for individuals and institutions consisting of 58 awards. This year, an advertisement was issued by the Department in July 2017 with the last date up to 15^th August. However, on receipt of representations the last date was extended up to 10^th September. 984 applications were received which were shortlisted by Four screening committees constituted for the purpose. The National Selection Committee met on two dates i.e. 10^th November, and 16^th November, 2017 to finalise the list. This year, 52 awards to individuals and institutions are being conferred. The awards consist of a certificate to each, and medal or shield in some categories as also with cash component amounting to Rs. 43.50 Lakhs.

LIST OF AWARDEES FOR NATIONAL AWARD FOR DIVYANGJAN, 2017

I.	BEST EMPLOYEE/ SELF EMPLOYED WITH DISABILITIES
No.	Sub-category & No. of awards		Male/ Female			Name			Address
1.	Blindness		Male			Mr. N.K.Chokalingam			F1 & 2 , Raghav Apartment, 4/24, Ragaviaha Road, T.Nagar Chennai-600017 (T.N.)
			Female			Dr. Shruti Hora			264, Sec-7A, Chandigarh. Office: PGGCG, Sec-11, Chandigarh.
2.	Low Vision		Male			Mr. R. Bijumon			Valavinkal House, Moolamattom P.O, Idukki District, Kerala-685590. Office- Deputy Director of Prosecution, Idukki-Muttom.
			Female			No application was received			---
3.	Leprosy Cured		Male			Mr. A. Arokiya Royan			92/5 Mangali Amman Koil Street, St Thomas Mount Kancheepuram Distt. Chennai-88 (T.N)
			Female			No application was received			---
4. D	Hearing Impairment		Male			Mr. Rakesh Agarwal			T9/G001, BPTP Park Floor-II, Sector-76, Fridabad-121004, Haryana. Office - NHFDC, DPT-11&12,Ground Floor, DLF Prime Tower, Okhala Phase-I, New Delhi-1100020
			Female			Ms. Priyanka			H. No. 2, NITTTR Campus, Sector-26, Chandigarh, Pin-160019. Office - Sarthak Educational Trust, NITTTR Campus, Chandigarh.
5.	Locomotor Disability		Male			Mr. Vijay Kumar Rajsoni			Janda (Oda) Gali, Partapgarh, Distt. Chittorgarh (Rajasthan)
						Mr. Samir Surenderakumar Kakkad			E-103 Satellite Centre, Near Mansi tower, Vastarapur Ahmedabad,-380015. Gujarat. Office- SAIKA GF-25 Goyalplaza opp. Goyal park Premchand Nagarroad Vastaapur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 380015..
			Female			Ms. Chumki Data			Plot No. 18, Bodhivriksha, Nr. Jhumuka MIP, Village/Post-Kantabad, Bhubaneswar, Orissa-752054 Office- Mastermind Advertising Service, Plot No. 357, Kolathia, Khandagiri, Near Utkal Aerospace & Engg. Bhubaneswar-751030.
6.	Cerebral Palsy		Male			Mr. Rohit Jain			E-37-38 Nandini Residency, Saraswati Nagar, Near Airport Terminal 2, Jawahar Circle Jaipur-302017 Office: Deutsche Bank , Mahindra SEZ, Ajmer Road, Jaipur.
			Female			No application was received			---
1.	Mental Retardation		Male			Mr. Chathraju Saikrishan			Plot No. 220, Shanthi Nagar, Chirthakunta, Karimnagar.(A.P)
			Female			Nil			---
2.	Mental illness		Male			Nil			---
			Female			Nil			---
3.	Autism		Male			Nil			---
			Female			Nil			---
4.	Multiple Disabilities		Male			No one was selected			---
			Female			Ms. K V Sirisha			D/o K.S. Vijayakumar D. No. 2-815, Padmavathinagar,KongaredPalli, Chittoor Andra Pradesh-517001
			Female			Ms. Yasmeen Mansuree			# 7, Kh No, 627, Sai Complex Maidan Garhi Road Chattarpur Enc. Chattarpur, New Delhi-110074.
II	AWARD FOR BEST EMPLOYERS AND PLACEMENT OFFICER/ AGENCY
No.				Sub-category
1.	Best Employer			(i) Government organization					No one was selected
				(ii) Public Sector Undertaking/ Autonomous / Local Government Body					No one was selected
				(iii) Private/ Non Governmental Organization					1. IBM India Pvt. LTD., IBM India Private Limited No.-12,Subramanya Arcade, Bannerghatta Road, Banglore-560029. Karnataka. 2. Apna Sweets, 55/2, Lodhipura, Bhagat Singh Marg, Indore (Owner- Shri Prakash Rathore)
	Best Placement Officer/ Agency			(i) Autonomous Government Organization/ Public Sector Undertaking					No one was selected
				(ii) Private/ Non-Governmental Organization/ Office					1. YOUTH4JOBS FOUNDATION, 2nd Floor, Plot 135, Avenue 2, Road 13, Banjara Hils, Hyderabad, Telangana-500034. 2. Devnar Foundation for the Blind , Plot no. 185, Road No-1, West Marredpally, Secunderabad-500026
III.	AWARD FOR BEST INDIVIDUAL & INSTITUTION WORKING FOR THE CAUSE OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
No.				Sub-category			Name
1.	Best Individual			Professional			Dr. T.S.CHANDRASEKAR, 83, Valluvarkoottam High Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai-600034 (T.N)
				Non Professional			1. Ms. Sukeshi Barui, Vill. Kathila, PO Banitabla. PS- Uluberia Distt. Howrah-711316 ( W.B) 2. Dr. Ram Kishan Gupta, Hamirpur Road Chauraha, Jawahar Nagar, Ghatampur. (Uttar Pradesh)
2.	Best Institution			(i) An organization providing holistic comprehensive services to the persons with disabilities in a comprehensive manner			1. 'ETC' Education , Training and Service Centre for Persons with Disabilities, Plot No. 3D, Sector 30 A, Near vashi Railway Station, Vashi, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra-400703. 2. Samarthanam Trust For the Disabled, CA: 39, 15TH CROSS, 16th main, Sector-4, HSR Layout, Bangalore-560102.Karnataka. 3. Sikkim Viklang Sahayata Samiti, Opposite Old Assembly C Zero Point, 31NH Gangtok, EASE Sikkim. 4. CORD (Chinmaya Organisation for Rural Development), CORD Training Centre, Village and post office Sidhbari,Tehsil Dharmshala, District Kangra, Himachal Pradesh- 176057
				(ii) An organization promoting inclusive education to the children/persons with disabilities			The Society Welfare of Disabled, Karnataka, SDM Mangala Jyothi Integrated School, Vamanjoor, Mangalore, Karnataka.
IV	ROLE MODEL AWARDS
No.	Sub-category				Name			Address or Telephone no. / e-mail
1.	Blindness/ low vision	Male			Mr. S.K. Paul Kumar			No.104-'A' Block, Brigade Majastic, 1st Main Road, Gandhinagar, Bangalore-560009.
		Female			Ms. Tiffany Brar			10-A Skyline Palace, Court Apprtments, Kavadiyar, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
		Female			Dr. Jyothsnaphanija Bolla			Flat No. 246, Vasanth Apartment, Vasanth Vihar, New Delhi-110057
2.	Leprosy cured	Male			No Application was received			---
3.	Hearing impairment	Male			Mr. Apoorav Om			9-B, First Floor, DDA LIG Flat, Best Sarai, Opposite Old JNU Campus, New Delhi-110016
					Mr. K. Seshagiri Rao			H. No.27-2/5. Sai Enclave Apartment, Flat No. G/3, NearBank of India, Safilguda, Secunderabad, A.P. PIN-500056
		Female			Ms. Swetha Kulkarni			Flat No. 93/S1, TNHB Flats. 1ST Seaward Road, Valmiki Nagar,Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai-600041-Tamilnadu
					Ms. Rachna Dushy Antkumar Shah			12,Rohini Society, P.O. Manekbag, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 380015
4.	Locomotor Disability / Cerebral Palsy	Male			Mr. Bhavani Shankar Ravindera			Flat No.101, Shubangi Enclave/479, 17th main Muneshwara Block, Bengaluru (Karnataka)
		Female			Dr. Rajalakshmi. S.J			No. 5, 17th Main Muneshwara Block, Girinagar, Near Vivekananda Park, Bengaluru-560085
5.	Mental Retardation/ Mental Illness / Autism	Male			Mr. Pranay Purushottam Burde			A-30, S .v.Road, Andheri West Mumbai- Maharashtra, PIN-400058.
					Mr. Akula Rohith			S/o A,Ram Reddy, R/o H, No. 1-3-67/A, Shanthi Nagar, Near Saibaba Mandir, Adilabad, Telangana.
		Female			Ms.Gauri Shekhar Gadgil			F-6, Sawali, Lake 2, Niant Vasahat, Kothari Blocks, Bibavewadi rd, Pune 411037, Maharashtra.
V	AWARDS FOR BEST APPLIED RESEARCH/ INNOVATION/ PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AIMED AT IMPROVING THE LIFE OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
No.	Sub-category							Awardee
1.	Best Applied Research/ Technological Innovation Aimed at Improving the life of Persons with Disabilities							Balaji. V, # No-24 Gopal Chetty Street, Periya kalapet, Puducherry-605014
2.	Development of new Cost-effective product for manufacture Aimed at Improving the life of Persons with Disabilities.							Biswajit Roy, Asha Dass & Vijay Kumar Alisha. Address: Biswajit Roy, Asha Dass: 110, Srigiri Apartment, Sainik Enclave, Sainkpuri post, Secunderabad-500094 & Vijay Kumar Alisha, Shop No. 6-2-181/8, Akshaya Enclave, Shobana Colony, Bala Nagar, Hydrabad-500042
VI.	AWARD FOR THE OUTSTANDING WORK IN THE CREATION OF BARRIER-FREE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
No.	Sub-category							Awardee
1.	Government Department/ Offices/ PSUs / Autonomous Bodies							1. Jabalpur District [Shri Mahesh Chandra Chaudhary, Collector & District Magistrate] 2. District Project Office, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Sana Street, DCCB Colony, Srikakulam 5320001
2.	Local Bodies							Mahakaleshwar Mandir Samithi, Shri Mahakal Mandir Prabandh Samitee, Ujjain.
3.	Private Sector/NGOs							NIl
VII.	AWARD FOR THE BEST DISTRICT IN PROVIDING REHABILITATION SERVICE							Madurai (T.N.), C/o Shri K.Veena Raghava Rao, IAS, District Collector, Madurai.
VIII.	BEST STATE CHANNELIZING AGENCY OF NATIONAL HANDICAPPED FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.							Nil
IX	AWARD FOR THE OUTSTANDING CREATIVE ADULT PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES							Male		Gopal Chandra Pal, Ballymore, Kalitala. P.O.+Distt. Hooghly. -712102 (W.B.)
								Female		Sunitha Thrippanikkara Nuram, Niram, Kandamkulagara Kunnimangalam Po, Kannur Distt., Kerala.
X	AWARD FOR THE BEST CREATIVE CHILD WITH DISABILITIES							Boy		Om Jiganesh Vyas, II, Ankit Society, Ramwadi, Isanpur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat-382443.
								Girl		Abhiramir R., Anthappillil (H) Thengode PO, Kakkanad, Cochin, PIN-682030
XI	BEST BRAILLE PRESS (One award)							National Association for the blind, India, 11-12, Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Road, Worli Seaface, Mumbai-400030
XII	BEST ACCESSIBLE WEBSITE
No.	Sub-category
1.	Govt.							Nil
2.	PSU/LB							Nil
3.	Pvt. Sector/Non Govt.							The Jalgaon People Co-Operative Bank Ltd, 152, Polanpeth, Danabajar, Jalgaon, Maharastra.
XIII	BEST STATE IN PROMOTING EMPOWERMENT OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES							Chhattisgarh, C/o Additional Secretary, Chhattisgarh Administrator, Social Welfare Department, Govt. of Chhattisgarh
XIV	BEST SPORTS PERSON WITH DISABILITY						Male	Shekhan Naik, CA: 39, 15TH CROSS, 16th main, Sector-4, HSR Layout, Bangalore, Karnataka, PIN- 560102
							Female	Patel Sonalben Manubhai, C-201, Shubhmangal Greens, Near ICB Island, Vande Matram Cross Road, Jagatpur Road, Gota, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, PIN-382481.

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Sanjay Kumar/jk/MoSJ&E/03.12.2017