Rs 8.28 crore building for specially abled inaugurated in Shimla’s Dhalli

Shimla (The Uttam Hindu) : Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today inaugurated the newly constructed building of the Institute for Specially Abled children at Dhalli, near Shimla. Built at a cost of Rs 8.28 crore, the new five-storeyed building includes 32 modern classrooms and residential rooms, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. It also houses a computer lab, vocational training rooms, a music room, library, workshop and other essential amenities. Furthermore, 10 rooms have been allocated for hostel accommodation.

“The institute is at present providing education to 140 children (106 hearing-impaired and 34 visually impaired). The institute offers free residential education from Class 1 to XII,” said Sukhu. In addition, students receive vocational training in fields such as handicrafts, bakery, computer skills and horticulture to help them become self-reliant and lead dignified lives. He further said that the government was committed to laying the foundation for a bright future for specially abled individuals by providing high-quality formal and vocational education. He said a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for the differently abled was being set up in Kandaghat in Solan district on 45 bighas to accommodate 300 students. “Our government is continuously working towards ensuring that specially abled individuals are educated and trained to earn a respectable place in the society and this newly constructed building is a step towards securing a bright future for our specially abled children,” the Chief Minister said.

Sukhu announced Rs 1 lakh for the children of the institution for Diwali celebrations, Rs 2 lakh for the purchase of musical instruments and Rs 10,000 each for the children who presented paintings to him. Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil said that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had given a new identity to orphaned children by designating them as ‘Children of the State.’ The Chief Minister said that in view of Diwali, the state government employees and pensioner, along with employees of various boards and corporations, would get their salaries and pension on October 28. “This will also apply to anganwari workers, ASHA workers, outsourced employees and those working in the government sector, ensuring they can celebrate the festival of Diwali with gaiety,” he added.He said in the past about 20 months, the government had generated an additional revenue of Rs 2,600 crore, and allocated 30 per cent of it to the social sector.