Rayagada district administration’s divyang empowerment trickles down to grassroots in a campaign mode

 Dr.Badal Tah,Odishabarta

Associate editor

Rayagada, March 14: Earlier disability identification camps were generally held at the district headquarters hospital in Rayagada. But for last few years, Bhim Bhoi Disability Empowerment Camps in a campaign mode are organised at block headquarters in respective block offices. Disability percentage certificates are issued to PwDs by the expert doctors. Other grievances are addressed in the block office in the presence of concerned BDO, Block Social Security Officer(BSSO) and District Social Security Officer (DSSO).

Last Friday, Bhim Bhoi Disability Camp was conducted in the premises of Rayagada BDO office under the supervision of BDO, Rayagada, Sujit Kumar Mishra, while Additional BDO Kalu Charan Nayak, In-charge DSSO Srikant Kumar Panigrahi, Panchayat Samiti Chairperson Tuni Huika, Vice-Chairperson Haraprasad Hepruka, ZP Member Adar Pulaka, Smritirekha Nayak, GPDO, all Sarpanches, Samiti members and representatives of Rayagada Bhinnakshyam Mahasangh and Odisha Vikalang Manch namely Sisir Raulo, Amarendra Nath, Rakesh Chandra Himirika, Santosh Mohapatra, Jalendra Bacheli, Raghunath Patra were present on the occasion. In the said program, 243 differently-abled persons were registered and one differently-abled person was given Asha Badi, one person was given a wheel chair and 10 people were given bus passes.

Apart from this, 7 persons were provided with DRI loan forms, 9 persons were distributed allowance forms and 4 were given bus pass forms.

 All the filled up forms and documents have been collected, which will be later approved and benefits distributed in the coming days. In the camp, 74 differently-abled persons were referred to be examined at District Headquarters Hospital’s ophthalmologist, plastic surgeon, orthopaedic surgeon, psychiatrist, ENT specialist and senior pharmacist and will be issued disability certificates in the coming days. 

 
The program was facilitated by the Block Social Security Officer Sameer Padaka, PA Srikant Pedina, while other block, gram panchayat and divisional staff cooperated. Ashutosh Kulkarni, Collector Rayagada, through a schedule, has directed the concerned authorities to be pro-divyangs in sync with the Chief Minister’s grievance redressal mechanism, where top most priority is given to the issues presented by the divyangs during public hearings held by the CM Mohan Majhi in person.