CM calls for integrating people with disabilities into society

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that sincere efforts are needed from all quarters to integrate people with disabilities into social life and involve them in the nation-building process. He was speaking at the state-level inauguration and flag handover ceremony of Inclusive India Yatra, led by Different Art Centre (DAC) executive director Gopinath Muthukad.The campaign, which will begin on Oct 6, aims to raise public awareness across India about the importance of social inclusion for people with disabilities.
The chief minister praised the efforts of DAC in uplifting the community and spoke about how inclusion remains a distant dream for some individuals. Kerala has become a model state in India for the upliftment of people with disabilities, he said.
The chief minister detailed various initiatives under the Kerala govt's 'Barrier-Free Kerala' project, including disability-friendly constructions, district-level committees for the upliftment of the disabled, and changes in reservation policies. He expressed hope that the activities of DAC would expand further and reach more beneficiaries. The chief minister also wished that Kerala's exemplary ideas in the field of disability inclusion would be adopted by other states and that ideas from other states would be integrated into Kerala society through the Inclusive India Yatra.