Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri A Narayan Swamy, while assuring all possible assistance to the disabled, said that the role of the disabled is very important in building a self-reliant India. CMD NDFDC Naveen Shah ji said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji changed the thinking of people in the society by giving the word 'Divyang' to these people for the first time.
Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri A. Narayan Swami ji said that the Central Government has prepared several schemes to promote entrepreneurship and craftsmanship especially among the disabled. He said that these schemes are implemented to provide training, skills and finance to the disabled brothers and sisters. The Central Government has increased the categories of disabled people from 7 to 21. Along with this, he said that reservation for disabled people in government jobs has been increased from 3% to 4% and reservation for disabled people in government educational institutions has been increased from 3% to 5%.
The government is providing financial assistance to disabled people through various schemes at low interest rates to make them self-reliant. On this occasion, DDG Disabled Empowerment Department Shri Kishore Babu Rao Surwade ji said that we are organizing divine art fairs in every major city of the country. Till now, a total of six fairs have been successfully completed. This fair is the seventh fair. On this occasion, loan approval letters were distributed to the disabled beneficiaries by Gramin Bank. To encourage the disabled people, assistive devices were distributed in the form of tokens by ALIMCO, an organization of the Government of India, in the Divya Kala Mela.
Baroda UP Gramin Bank has sanctioned Rs 25.75 lakh for 29 disabled persons. During the program, loan sanction letters were distributed as tokens to 5 disabled people. 'Divya Kala Mela' has been organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment at Town Hall, Maidagin, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh from 15 September to 24 September 2023 to showcase the products and craftsmanship of entrepreneurs/artisans with disabilities. In this fair, artisans from different parts of the country including Jammu & Kashmir, North Eastern States will showcase their wonderful and attractive products like handicrafts, handlooms, embroidery works and packaged foods etc. which will also be available for sale.
This is a unique initiative towards the economic empowerment of disabled people. The Divya Kala Mela presents a great platform for marketing and showcasing the products and skills of persons with disabilities. Divya Kala Mela, Varanasi is the seventh fair in the series starting from 2022. Earlier this fair was organized in Delhi, Mumbai, Bhopal, Indore, Guwahati and Jaipur. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities has selected National Disabled Finance and Development Corporation as the nodal agency for organizing this fair.
Around 100 disabled artisans/artists and entrepreneurs from around 20 States/Union Territories are showcasing their products and skills in the Divya Kala Mela. This fair is proving to be a powerful medium to spread the concept of 'Vocal for Local' to the masses in which the display and sale of products made by disabled artisans is encouraged by providing a suitable platform across the country.
This ten-day divine art fair can be enjoyed from 10.00 am to 10.00 pm. Apart from this, cultural programs by well-known artists of the country and famous food stalls from different states of the country are the special attractions of this fair. Many attractive selfie points have been made for the people at the fair.
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