CUTTACK: Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot on Thursday inaugurated 14 cross-disability early intervention centres (EICs) across the country including one at Swami Vivekananda National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research (SVNIRTAR), Cuttack.
The centres will provide special support and services to infants and young children at risk of or with disabilities. As research studies suggest that early childhood (0-6 years) is the best time for remarkable brain development, early intervention will help in eliminating or reducing the severity of disabilities.
The EICs launched on a pilot basis at seven national institutes and as many composite regional centres will cover Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. All other composite regional centres will have the EICs gradually.