Kiran, a Mental Health Rehabilitation Camp was organised in Gurez for persons with disabilities in Jammu & Kashmir by the Composite Regional Centre (CRC), Srinagar. Nuzhat Bashir a Prosthetist at Composite Regional Centre said, at the camp we distributed wheelchairs, walking sticks and other aids among the people with disabilities.
Irshad Ahmad, Camp Incharge, CRC says, these camps are organised to facilitate people in need so that they can get the benefit of the scheme and aids available to them even if they are not able to come to our centre. This is our intent, to reach as many of these people as we can. Composite Regional Centre, CRC has been established for the persons with Disabilities of Jammu & Kashmir, by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of India, in the year June 2000, at Bemina, Bye-Pass, and Srinagar J&K. The objective of this centre is to build an inclusive society in which equal opportunities are provided for the growth and development of Persons with Disabilities so that they can lead productive, safe and dignified lives. To empower Persons with Disabilities, through rehabilitation and to create an enabling environment that provides such persons with equal opportunities, protection of their rights, and enables them to participate as independent and productive members of society.
The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment facilitates the empowerment of the persons with disabilities, who as per Census 2011 are 2.68 crores and are 2.21 percent of the total population of the Country. These include persons with Visual, Hearing, Speech & Locomotive disabilities, Mental Retardation, Mental Illness, Multiple Disabilities, and any other disabilities. Disability of any kind is a setback to any person’s life, it not only affects the lives of disabled persons but also offers enough challenge to the society at large to overcome in its mission for improved quality of life and happiness. Services for prevention, early detection, intervention, and rehabilitation are minimal throughout the country, particularly in rural areas. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop services for the disabled in rural areas, by building up the linkages through convergence.