KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 3

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari stressed the need to ensure equal access of differently-abled persons to education, health and employment opportunities provided by the government.

In a message issued on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities today, she called on the government to implement the constitutional and legal provisions related to differently-abled persons effectively.

The day was marked with the international theme: ‘Building back better: towards an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 world by, for and with the persons with disabilities’.

The head of the state remarked that society’s perception and behaviour towards differently-abled persons should change.

“Authorities and stakeholders concerned should take special initiative to provide them with better education and health facilities, and other opportunities in line with the constitution and related national and international laws,” she said.

She urged the government to develop disabled-friendly infrastructure and ensure their participation in decision-making.

Meanwhile, a virtual press meet was organised by the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens in coordination with the National Federation of the Disabled-Nepal to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

During the press meet, NFDN General Secretary Raju Basnet highlighted the achievements made over the years in the disability sector and detailed the disability issues to be addressed collectively.

He said the ‘power of voice’ could not be underestimated and enhancing the voice of persons with disabilities on issues concerning them was more sustainable.

NFDN President Mitra Lal Sharma said disability was unpredictable and could happen at any age, therefore persons with disabilities should be made a part of family, society.

Around one billion people globally have some form or the other of disability, according to the United Nations.

They constitute 15 per cent of the world’s population and yet the world’s largest minority group faces many barriers to inclusion in key aspects of society.

As per the 2011 census, about two per cent (513,321) of the total population of Nepal is living with one or the other kind of disability.

Of them, 280,086 are males and 233,235 are females.

Around 80 per cent of disabled people in the country are illiterate and 95 per cent are unemployed.

Feature image: File