Encourage differently-abled, parents told Collector D Muralidhar Reddy

Kakinada: District Collector D Muralidhar Reddy exhorted the differently-abled persons to overcome hurdles and make achievements with their talents without losing self-confidence. With grit and determination, they could achieve their goals, he added.

He said that there were several people in India and abroad who scaled great heights overcoming their physical handicaps. For example, Helen Keller, despite being deaf and blind, could become an author, lecturer and political activist. She was the first person to earn a university degree, he added. He said that in India, a blind woman cleared the civil services examination recently.

Participating as chief guest at a programme to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities, organized by differently-abled, Hizras and Senior Citizens Welfare Department, Muralidhar Reddy said that a scientist Stephen Hawking wrote many books which are most useful to society, though his entire body was paralyzed and he was confined to wheelchair.

He said that the parents of the differently-abled persons should encourage their children by identifying their talents and should not give chances to them for disappointment and distress. He said that the government was implementing so many schemes for the welfare of differently-abled persons.

He said that SADARAM certificates will be sanctioned from December 15 to the differently-abled persons and 11,000 pending applications would be sorted out by March, 2020. Kakinada Mayor S Pavani, Red Cross Chairman YD Ramarao and others participated.