Union Minister Inaugurates 35 District Disability Rehabilitation Centers Nationwide

New Delhi: In a significant stride towards the empowerment and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities has inaugurated 35 new District Disability Rehabilitation Centers (DDRC) across the country. The virtual inauguration ceremony was led by the Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar.

These DDRCs are strategically distributed across different states, with 13 in Madhya Pradesh, 7 in Andhra Pradesh, 6 in Odisha, 4 in Tripura, 2 in Maharashtra, and 1 each in Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur.

During the inauguration event, Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar highlighted the remarkable achievements of persons with disabilities nationally and internationally. He reiterated the government’s commitment to providing the best possible services to divyangjan (persons with disabilities) and emphasized recent changes in the Central Scheme Guidelines to enhance the functioning of DDRCs.

The Minister commended the adoption of new technologies by DDRCs, such as telemedicine services and assistance in UDID card registration, aiming to improve accessibility and efficiency in service delivery. He urged NGOs to strive for excellence in rehabilitation services.

Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ms. Pratima Bhowmik, emphasized that the establishment of new DDRC centers exemplifies Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s deep concern and commitment towards Divyangjan. She highlighted that DDRCs serve as crucial channels for delivering rehabilitation services directly to persons with disabilities at the grassroots level, eliminating the need for individuals to travel to distant areas to access essential facilities.

Shri Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, stressed the expansion of schemes to benefit persons with disabilities. He expressed the government’s vision to ensure accessibility to rehabilitation centers, including DDRCs, within a 100-kilometer radius across the country.

The newly established DDRCs aim to offer comprehensive services to persons with disabilities, including medical provisions, education, skill training, rehabilitation services, early identification, assistive device fitment, UDID Registration Facilitation, financial assistance, prosthetics and orthotics, physiotherapy, speech and hearing therapy, special education, parent counseling, among others. Additionally, these centers will facilitate awareness generation and promote government schemes while ensuring referral arrangements for surgical corrections through government and charitable institutions.