Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the government has planned several projects worth Rs 600 crore to turn Kerala into a hassle-free state.
While ongoing and upcoming infrastructure development projects will include provisions to ensure access, existing buildings will be renovated to meet the requirement. Inaugurating the silver jubilee of the National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH) here on Tuesday, he said public places, including offices, institutions and tourist places, have to be made disabled-friendly to achieve the target.
new feature
Mr Vijayan announced that a National Center for Assisted Health Technology would be set up at NISH. While the service of the proposed center will be expanded to all districts, this facility will help in raising awareness among the disabled about assistive technology which was vital to help them lead a normal life.
Elaborating on several initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life of people with disabilities, he said that early intervention centers would be opened across the state for the benefit of hearing impaired children. He said that the first hearing-impaired school in the state would be opened soon.
Promising to support the efforts to equip NISH with modern facilities, the Chief Minister said that an amount of Rs 18.93 crore has been earmarked for starting Higher Education Foundation and Neurodevelopmental Science Program at the institute.
university status
Presiding over the function, Social Justice Minister R. Bindu said the government is exploring the possibility of granting a university status to NISH in association with the National Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (NIPMER) in Thrissur.
Mr. Vijayan formally inaugurates Research Center in Communication Sciences; Successful Sensorium, a sensory park; and a scientific research cell for the disabled, and declared NISH as a barrier free environmental campus. He also released the ‘Accessible Book’ brought by the organization for the differently abled.
honored
Two NISH alumni, Parvati AS and Lakshmi AS, twins who overcame many hurdles to clear the Engineering Services Examination 2021, were felicitated during the ceremony.
Kadakampally Surendran, MLA; Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran; and M. Anjana, Executive Director, NISH were also present.