BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday threw open a new department for Social Security and Empowerment for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) at State Institute of Disability Rehabilitation (SIDR) on Capital Hospital campus here.
The Department is aimed at providing education and training to PwDs along with facilities and opportunities to gain skilled employment.
Welfare schemes for PwDs apart, the new agency will also look into social security of senior citizens and transgenders as well as their enumeration for different government schemes. Earlier, Directorate of Disability Welfare was mandated with this responsibility.
“The Department would ensure that PwDs, senior citizens and the third gender are not deprived of the Government’s welfare measures,” Women and Child Development Minister Usha Devi said.
The new Department will function with one Director, a Deputy Secretary and two Under Secretaries. Workforce will be sourced from the Disability Welfare Directorate.
The new Department will function from the SIDR building till it is allocated space at the new Secretariat building which may take two to three years, sources said.