New Delhi, 3 December 2014: The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee presented the National Awards for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities on the occasion of International Day of Disabled Persons in New Delhi today (December 3, 2014).
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that it is entirely appropriate that the people of India should mark the International Day of Disabled Persons by honoring the selfless individuals among us and the altruistic organisations in our country who have generously worked for the empowerment of the disabled in our society. Today we recognize them for their contribution, and the time, resources and energies that they have dedicated to bring positive change in the lives of the differently abled persons. He congratulated them and deeply appreciated their humanity.
The President said that it is important to acknowledge that although we, as a people, have been conditioned by our religion and values to be especially mindful and sensitive to the needs of the differently abled, and although our Government has taken a number of measures to systematically address the challenges that they face, we still have a lot to do to facilitate them in their daily lives. Besides refining our policy framework, it is essential for us to reinforce our efforts to put better delivery mechanisms in place. In this context, one of the key instruments is education. He also underlined the significance of economic empowerment of the differently abled.
Gwalior Collector P. Narahari receiving the National award
