By: Vijay Garg
Man running in today’s materialistic age is unaware that any kind of deficiency in the human body seems like a curse. Any deficiency in the human body that makes it difficult to carry out normal daily activities is called disability. When we talk about disability, words like disability, disability and disability are used for the victim. These words are interrelated and it is very difficult to understand them clearly apart from each other.
Every year, International Disability Day is celebrated with a new idea. The theme for 2020 is “Building a Stable, Acceptable, Better World with Disabilities after covid-19.” The year 1981 was declared by the United Nations as the ‘International Year of Persons with Disabilities’ so that governments and societies could focus on their problems at the international, national and regional levels. Emphasis could be placed on rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, disability prevention, promotion and equality. Earlier, World Disability Day was observed on the third Sunday of March. Since 1992, the United Nations has decided to observe International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3 every year. This time we are going to celebrate the 39th World Disability Day which has become just a ritual. According to a UN report, 10 percent of the world’s population suffers from physical, mental, and serious illnesses. According to the Indian census, the population of the disabled has increased by 22.4 per cent from 2001 to 2011. The number increased from 2.19 crore in 2001 to 2.68 crore in 2011 with 1.5 crore males and 1.18 crore females. On December 3, 2018, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development had said that there are 120 million disabled people in the country out of which only 1 per cent can go to school
Dr. R.B. Raman had said in 2018 that 20 per cent of the world’s blind people are in India alone, numbering around 60 million. Of these, 4.5 crore are partially blind while 15 million are completely blind. The number of blind people in Punjab is around 3 lakh out of which majority of the patients are in Malwa region just like the cancer patients. These figures have come out during the national survey. According to the 2011 census, there are 6 lakh 54 thousand 63 persons with disabilities in Punjab out of which 3,66,376 are males and 2,87,782 are females. According to experts, people are disabled in three stages such as before birth, at birth and after birth. According to a medical survey, less than 2 percent of people are disabled before and during birth. A large number of people have become disabled while building and defending the country such as laborers, farmers, engineers and soldiers. There are many other causes of disability such as wars, accidents, diseases, lack of medical facilities, misuse of modern agricultural implements, lack of balanced diet, untimely medical examination of pregnant women, increasing use of pesticides in agriculture. Consumption, industrial accidents, natural disasters, unsafe drinking water, increasing pollution and poverty.
We are all responsible in one way or another for the disability of many disabled people like relatives, doctors and the government. Disability is on the rise due to the country’s dilapidated health facilities. The official per capita health expenditure in the country is Rs 1,657 per annum. Articles 41 and 42 of the Constitution of India place great emphasis on the welfare of the disabled, keeping in view the need for treatment of the diseased organs of the society. The government has announced various facilities and enacted various acts to make the lives of these people happier, but in spite of this, the lives of the disabled are mired in bitter realities. , a Government of India company that manufactures and provides prostheses and other essential items for the disabled, all of which date back to the 1980s. The government needs to encourage scientific research in prostheses and other equipment so that these people can get high quality and state-of-the-art equipment. One such researcher is also honoured every year by the Government of India. There is a greater need to prevent people from becoming disabled and to rehabilitate those who have become disabled.
If even one-tenth of what is spent on medical facilities and other services for the disabled is spent on disability causes, good results can be achieved, meaning prevention is cheaper than rehabilitation. With timely action, 60 to 70 percent disability can be eliminated. Seventy-five per cent of the total disabled in India live in rural areas where there are no special facilities for their treatment, education and development. Most of the rural population is still illiterate and superstitious. It is also important to end the tendency to disable disability by the concept of God’s will. Society considers the disabled as inferior citizens. The disabled are also a part of human society. No country can develop without their development. Even in the scientific age, many countries are lagging behind in their welfare. Blind believers think that the disabled are being punished for the bad deeds done in the previous life. Superstitious beliefs about the disabled should be eradicated from the society through the media. The government has announced many facilities for these people but the common handicapped have not benefited from these facilities. People with disabilities should be assessed on the basis of their intelligence, knowledge and courage, not on their physical ability.
A country that is striving to land on the moon, whose governments are claiming to be the world’s largest economic power of 5 trillion in the years to come, What could be more regrettable and sad than not being able to provide? Since globalization and privatization, which began in 1992, people with disabilities have suffered the most in terms of education, health and employment. If the common man is living in poverty, illiteracy and helplessness in daily life, then you can judge for yourself the disabled. Religious, political, government officials and NGO dignitaries should not use words like “victims of God’s wrath, victims of God’s wrath, persecuted, unfortunate, helpless, punishment for helpless deeds and thoughts” in their speeches It hurts people’s feelings and destroys the goal of living with confidence and self-respect.
