Braving incessant rains, hundreds of visually-impaired people on Thursday hit the streets here decrying the State Government’s apathy in fulfiling their 15-point charter of demands. The protestors under the banner of the Odisha Students’ Union of Visually Impaired staged a demonstration at the Lower PMG highlighting their grievances.

The demands included functioning of the talking book library set up at the Training Centre for the Teachers of the Visually Handicapped (TCTVH), Bhubaneswar, and Braille transcription project run by the Odisha Association for the Blind (OAB), implementation of universal scribe policy, implementation of three-per cent reservation quota in employment, adequate hostels for visually-impaired boys and girls, establishment of equal opportunity cells by different colleges and universities, exemption of education fees for PWDs, opening of adequate numbers of coaching centers for competitive examinations and fellowship scheme for higher education.

“Though 20 years have elapsed after the enforcement of the special Act for the PWDs, nothing tangible has happened as yet to the PWDs in Odisha. Starting from education to service and health sector, persons with disability (PWDs) are the worst sufferer,” alleged one of the protestors. Disability activist Sanyas Behera said the agitation would be intensified.

Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/visually-impaired-people-hit-streets-against-govt-apathy.html