Supporting disabled individuals: ‘Saksham Jaipur’ foot camp begins in North Dinajpur

Raiganj: In a significant move to support disabled individuals, the North Dinajpur district administration has launched an 18-day Saksham Uttar Dinajpur Jaipur Foot Camp. The initiative aims to provide free assistive devices such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, walkers, tricycles and crutches to beneficiaries across the district. The camp was inaugurated by District Magistrate Surendra Kumar Meena at Rampur Junior Basic School in Raiganj on Wednesday.

Organised in collaboration with Jaipur Bhagwan Mahabir Bikalanga Sahayata Samity, the camp will cover five blocks: Raiganj, Itahar, Karandighi, Goalpokhar-II and Islampur. This marks the second edition of the project, following the highly successful 25-day camp held in 2023, which benefited 11,458 individuals. Among them, 9,954 received essential assistive devices.

The district administration also provided travel reimbursement to ensure accessibility. The initiative is a testament to the district administration’s commitment to empowering disabled individuals and ensuring accessibility for all. The efforts continue to garner widespread appreciation from the community and beyond.Reflecting on the past success, the Saksham Project earned national recognition, securing the prestigious Gold Award at the SKOCH Awards in New Delhi. Speaking at the inauguration, District Magistrate Surendra Kumar Meena stated: “In our last camp, total 9,954 individuals received assistive devices. This time, we aim to support 8,000 beneficiaries across the district.”

According to the officials of district administration such camps will be held on January 29, 30 and 31 January in Raiganj Rampur Junior Basic school, on February 2, 3 & 4 at Itahar govt polytechnic institution, February 6 &7 at Rsakhoa High School in Karandighi, February 9, 10 & 11 at Belan High School of Goalpokar 2 and February 13, 14 & 15 will be held at Urdy Academy in Islampur.