Delhi launches mission to make city more accessible for persons with disabilities

PTI Updated: May 16, 2025 23:30 IST
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New Delhi, May 15 (PTI) Delhi has rolled out a city-wide initiative to make public spaces and infrastructure more accessible for persons with disabilities, officials said on Friday.
    The 'Sugamya Delhi Abhiyan' was launched on the Global Accessibility Awareness Day on Thursday during a stakeholder consultation in Dwarka. It aims to build on the early success of a pilot project in the sub-city and scale it across the national capital, according to an official statement.
     Organised by the Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) in collaboration with the Inclusive Divyangjan Entrepreneur Association (IDEA), the consultation brought together over 100 participants, including disability rights groups, private companies, CSR leaders and government officials, it said.
    The campaign builds on the 'Sugamya Dwarka Abhiyan', which in just 15 days assessed over 70 buildings and spaces, including government offices, banks, parks, schools and footpaths, for accessibility, the statement said.
    More than 500 volunteers, experts and stakeholders participated in the assessments. Several representatives from these locations attended the event and pledged to improve accessibility standards, it said.
    South West Delhi MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat, who attended the event, extended her full support to the campaign and took on the role of 'Purple Ambassador' for accessibility.
    "We need collective public responsibility to identify and eliminate barriers, whether in government or private infrastructure," she said.
    S Govindraj, Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, said he would personally visit accessible sites developed under the initiative.
    IDEA founder Mallikarjuna Iytha, whose organisation has supported more than 1,500 entrepreneurs with disabilities and helped create 5,000 jobs, said the goal was to turn Delhi into a "capital of inclusion".

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)