Service, help centers for disabled to be set up in every upazila: PM

"As many as 73 service and help centres have already been introduced in 64 districts in the country for providing'one stop' services to the disabled and autistic people. An autism corner has also been launched with every centre." she said, adding these activities would be expanded to the upazila level.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing the inaugural function of the 7th World Autism Awareness Day 2014 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) here this morning.

With Social Welfare Minister Syed Mohsin Ali in the chair, the function was addressed by State Minister for Social Welfare Promod Mankin as the special guest. Secretary in-charge of the ministry Nasima Begum delivered the welcome address.

From the BICC, the Prime Minister unveiled the plaques of the foundation stone of the National Disability Complex to be constructed in city\\\'s Mirpur area and turning the Jatiya Protibandhi Unnayan Foundation into the Disabled Development Directorate.

Terming disability as a part of human diversification, Sheikh Hasina urged all to be sympathetic for the people with disability instead of negligence.

"Time has ended to ignore the people with disability. We have the responsibility to make them close instead of negligence. It's our aim so that they could live in line with the mainstream of the society," she said

Mentioning that autism is not a disease rather some by borne complexities, she said that every person has the right to survive with dignity, and the disabled people including the autistic have the equal rights to enjoy this dignity alongside leading a healthy life.

The Prime Minister also called on the guardians not to confine the physically-challenged children to houses and let them get scope for flourishing their talents.

\\\"On many occasions it is seen that the parents want to try to hide their children in the houses. But it should not be, because they are a part of the society. We should have affection, love and responsibility for them,\\\" she said.

Sheikh Hasina urged the non-government organizations to supplement the government efforts for the development of the people with disability. \\\"Involving the autistic children with the mainstream will be possible with the united efforts of all Insha Allah,\\\" she said.

The Prime Minister said if the autistic children are nurtured properly, they could flourish their talents. \\\"They would be turned into valuable resources if they are cared keeping their special demands in head and on this issue I and my government have given special attention,\\\" she said.

Sheikh Hasina said to involve the people with disability in the mainstream of the development, her government during the 1996- 2001 tenure constituted the Jatiya Protibandhi Unnayan Foundation in 1999. This organization has been working for the development of the people with disability, she said.

\\\"As per our election manifesto of 2008, we have passed two laws - \\\'The Disabled People\\\'s Rights and Protection Act, 2013\\\' and \\\'The Neuron-developmental Disabled Protection Act, 2013\\\'. After formation of the government this time, we have taken initiatives for framing necessary rules for the two laws,\\\" she said.

The Prime Minister said land has been allocated for the construction of a multipurpose sports complex at Savar in Dhaka for increasing efficiency of the persons with disability in the field of sports and games, adding sports competition for the disabled children will be arranged at the national level in future.

The Prime Minister said the construction work of a multipurpose complex for the disabled has started at Mirpur in the capital. \\\"There will be arrangements for shelter homes with education and medicare facilities for 275 disabled and autistic people of different classes,\\\" she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the parents of autistic and intellectually- challenged children always remain worried about the future of their children.\\\"To get rid them of this situation, we have taken initiatives for running trust through the Autistic and Neuron-developmental Disabled Protection Trust Act, 2013,\\\" she said.

She said the Social Service Department is conducting a survey to identify the persons with disability. \\\"I hope that the work on registration and providing identity cards to the disabled people would be completed by this year,\\\" she said.

The Prime Minister said the government has launched a programme to provide allowances to the disabled people.

She said the government has established the Centre for Neurodevelopment and Autism in Children (CNAC) along with Shishu Bikash Kendra in all medical colleges. \\\"We have announced to turn Bangladesh Protibandhi Unnayan Foundation into the Disabled Development Directorate to raise the quality of the services for the disabled persons,\\\" she said.

Sheikh Hasina said Saima Hossain Putul, the grand daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has been working to organize the neurodevelopment activities including autism at international level as a psychologist.

\\\"Mainly under her initiatives, the Bangladesh government placed a proposal at the 67th UN General Assembly for undertaking coordinated efforts by the government and private sectors about the issue of the people with disability,\\\" she said, adding that this proposal was unanimously adopted on December 12 in 2012.

Referring to making of Nabo Barsha and Eid cards by the paintings of the autistic children, the Prime Minister said usually these cards are produced through the painting of a single kid. \\\"But in future, these cards would be prepared by the paintings of three autistic children,\\\" she announced.

Later, the Prime Minister talked to the physically- challenged children and enquired about their wellbeing. She also enjoyed a cultural function performed by the children with disability.

Though the inaugural function of the 7th World Autism Awareness Day 2014 at the BICC was a government function, there was a free movement of the autistic children near the Prime Minister. At one stage of the function, some autistic children embraced Sheikh Hasina who later patted them.