ON January 3, 2018, the birth anniversary of the great social reformer and pioneer of women’s education Savitribai Phule, was observed by the AIDWA in various parts of Maharashtra.

The largest programme was organised by the AIDWA Thane-Palghar district committee. A meeting of over 1500 women from seven tehsils of the district was held at Comrade Godavari Shamrao Parulekar Bhavan in Talasari in Palghar district.

THE National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), in a statement issued on December 23, has condemned the utter insensitivity displayed by the Delhi Development Authority in demolishing a hostel housing visually impaired students at Janakpuri, Delhi. This thoughtless and callous action on the part of the DDA has left around 25 of the hostel’s inmates to face the vagaries of nature. They have been compelled to seek shelter under temporary tents in unhygienic conditions, at this time of the year when the winter is at its harshest in Delhi.

THE National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), in a statement issued on December 15, has expressed its serious concern at the deteriorating health of Prof G N Saibaba, a person with 90 per cent disability who is in solitary confinement in the infamous anda cell at the Nagpur Central Jail. It is deplorable that despite his facing multiple medical problems, the jail authorities have refused to shift him to a hospital for treatment.

RANI Rasmoni Avenue, one of the busiest roads in Kolkata, turned into a sea of yellow as more than 12,000 disabled persons gathered at the call of Paschimbanga Rajya Pratibandhi Sammilani, the West Bengal affiliate of National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD). This was in response to the call given by the NPRD at its second conference held at Virudhunagar in September 2017 for nationwide action on December 4 demanding the speedy implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016.