News

Volume 1 Issue 8 - December 15, 2003

Helen Keller awards honour hard work done in the disability sector

DNIS News Network -- The Helen Keller awards honoured commendable work done in the field of disability.

Among the awardees were Nara Nageswarrao, an activist in Andhra Pradesh who forced the state government to fill more than 2,500 vacancies reserved for the disabled; Vivek Kumar Agarwal, the commissioner of Chattisgarh and a disabled person himself, who extended the 3% quota in jobs for disabled people, Ram Dayal Sharma, a carpenter in Delhi who used his skills to better the lives of several children suffering from cerebral palsy; and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited for being a role model for public sectors by providing employment to disabled people.

These individuals and organisations have met the most intrinsic needs of disabled people by providing them with a means of living. "The awards are a salute to those individuals and organisations that have done their bit to promote employment of the disabled," said Javed Abidi, Executive Director of National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP).