Awards

Bhopal: Outstanding work

Jabalpur district local level committee (LLC) has secured the award for outstanding performance in rehabilitation of the mentally challenged and providing them legal guardianship. The President of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam presented the award of District Collector, Jabalpur, Sanjay Dube, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

The district was chosen by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for creation of a barrier-free environment and best implementation of programmes of the National trust. In recognition of outstanding performance by the district in the past one-year, the district local level committee received a certificate and citation.

The local level committee of Jabalpur district has been every active in implementing the programmes of national Trust for the welfare of persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities. It has organized 22 awareness camps and parents meets. The local level committee has been instrumental in providing legal guardianship to 443 mentally challenged persons, in addition to facilitating disability certificates, organizing special medical boards, encouraging self-employment and providing counseling to guardians. For the first time in the country effort have been made to organize the mentally challenged and their guardians.

District Collector, Jabalpur has also been instrumental in developing a software which will help further the aim of organizing the mentally challenged and providing assistance so that the benefits of government programmes effectively reach them.

The Government of India has been giving national Awards in the field of disability, every year, since 1969 to the outstanding individuals and instructions working for welfare of persons with disabilities. The awards are presented on the International Day of Disabled Persons on 3rd December.

Source: National award for welfare of persons with disabilities. Central Chronicle, Daily, Bhopal, 7 December 2006.