Railway infrastructure to be disabled-friendly

Railways is planning to augment its infrastructure to cater to more people including differently-abled persons.
The PSU behemoth plans to augment its infrastructure both quantitatively and qualitatively in order to cater to more people and to include specific problems like accessibility for the disabled, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said at an award function here today.
The 6th National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People-Mphasis Universal Design Awards were given away by Prabhu to individuals and organisations working to create an accessible and barrier-free society for persons with disabilities in the areas of built environment, transport, ICT, services, and aids and appliances.

Congratulating the awardees and their families, he said, "What they have achieved is truly exceptional. We are committed to take up problems of the disabled as a matter of responsibility."
Railways has recently introduced Braille stickers in some coaches to facilitate visually-challenged passengers.
Some of the notable work that was celebrated at the event included a smart cane and other assistive technology developed by an IIT Delhi professor; a one-stop resource app on disability; and aviation industry's first employee with disability, among others.
According to a recent survey conducted by NCPEDP, it was found that only 0.56 per cent of students with disabilities were in higher education in India despite the mandated 3 per cent quota. Similarly, trends show that less than 1 per cent people with disabilities are meaningfully employed across sectors, with only 0.3 per cent of the mandated 3 per cent quota in government jobs being filled.