DHAKA, Dec 2, 2020 (BSS) – The International Day of Persons with
Disabilities and National Disabled Day-2020 will be observed in the
country tomorrow as elsewhere in the world with a call to work
together for protecting the rights of the people with differently
able, including their adequate facilities.
On the eve of the day, President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages, urging local and foreign
organisations and the affluent section of society to extend their
helping hands for the welfare of the people with disabilities.
They wished success of the day’s programmes and greeted all people
with disabilities, their families and organizations working for them.
Hamid appreciated the theme of the day, “Building Back Better:
toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post
Covid-19 world”, saying it is important against the backdrop of
COVID-19 pandemic.
The President said it is imperative to integrate people with
disabilities with the mainstream of development to ensure their
empowerment.
“People with disabilities are inseparable part of our society. They
would have to be developed as worthy citizens by providing them with
all facilities, including treatment, education and training,” he said
and appreciated various government programmes taken for their
development.
He said the rate of COVID-19 infection is comparatively low in
Bangladesh because of the government’s timely measures against spread
of this deadly virus. He urged all to maintainl health protocol,
including wearing mask and maintaining social distance to check
COVID-19 spread.
In her message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, people with the
disability are not the burden, rather they are the asset of the
society.
The government is committed to building a prosperous and happy
nation by involving the people with disability in various development
activities, she said, adding that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman included measures in the Constitution to ensure
equal rights of all citizens of the including those with disabilities.
“We have already enacted Persons with Disabilities Rights and
Protection Act-2013, Neuro Developmental Disability Protection Trust
Act, 2013 and established service centers to support the disabled
person in our country,” she added.
The premier urged all to work relentlessly to build a ‘Sonar
Bangla’ as dreamt by Father of the Nation.