Empower physically challenged people
Says Gowher Rizvi
Prime Minister's International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi yesterday stressed the need for empowering physically challenged people in order to turn them into the country's asset.
Keeping physically challenged people out of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) is a shortcoming in the way of their being attached to mainstream development, he said.
He was addressing the concluding session of a day-long programme at the Dhaka University (DU) senate building marking the seventh national convention of physically challenged people.
Action on Disability and Development (ADD) International, National Council of the physically challenged women and Jatiya Trinamul Protibondi Sangstha jointly organised the programme.
The government has to take more initiatives for the development of physically challenged people, said Rizvi, adding that the participation of these people should be ensured in all spheres of life.
"No dream of development will be possible without attaching them with the development activities," added Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CDP).
ADD International Country Director Mosharraf Hossain presided over the programme while NGO Affairs Bureau Director General Nurun Nabi Talukder and WaterAid Bangladesh country representative Dr Khairul Islam addressed it among others.
The inaugural session of the programme was addressed by Social Welfare Ministry Secretary Ranjit Kumar Biswas, DU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique and Manusher Jonno Foundation Executive Director Shaheen Anam, with National Council of the physically challenged women President Umme Kulsum Ranjona in the chair.
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