
Sri Aurobindo Society & DEPwD Sign MoU to Improve Education Access for Disabled Children
The collaboration will be carried out through the SAS' 'Rupantar Programme' under the newly launched 'Project Inclusion'.
The initiative seeks to build capacity among educators, rehabilitation professionals, counsellors and general teachers to support children with disabilities in mainstream educational settings.
The MoU aligns with key mandates of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, particularly Sections 16, 17 and 47 which underscore the right to inclusive education.
Under this partnership, SAS will deliver training and awareness programmes through a dedicated mobile app and web-based platform.
The project also aims to foster innovation in inclusive teaching methods and conduct research and development activities to further improve educational access and outcomes for children with disabilities.
Significantly, the initiative includes a focus on difficult-to-reach areas, with plans to expand to regions like Leh under the department's Leh Inclusion Initiative, thereby addressing geographical disparities in inclusive education, the department said in a statement.
Officials said the move is part of the government's broader effort to implement the vision of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' by ensuring that children with disabilities receive equitable and quality education across the country.
Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Ganga at core of cleanliness drive
Patna: Elated with the city's performance in Swachh Survekshan (SS) 2024, the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) is preparing to launch an extensive cleanliness campaign. This drive is aimed at enhancing public sensitivity towards the Ganga river and foster a broader movement for environmental awareness and civic hygiene. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The campaign will be conducted in phases. From Aug 1 to Aug 15, the PMC will sensitise its employees, stakeholders and enforcement teams. From Aug 15 to Oct 2, the corporation will carry out a citywide campaign to raise public awareness and penalise those found littering on roads or near rivers, or using plastic. Municipal commissioner Animesh Kumar Prashar described garbage and plastic as the two primary adversaries of the civic body. "Our teams are working on both fronts to maintain cleanliness in the city," he said. "To enforce the plastic ban, we will focus on three dimensions – suppliers of polythene, its users, and behavioural change. For this, three dedicated wings will be created," he added. Explaining the structure, Prashar said, "The first wing will focus on awareness and behavioural change. The second, the information wing, will track the sources of plastic supply and plug the gaps. The third wing will be responsible for enforcement, ensuring timely action against violators when information is received." Volunteers will engage students in the cleanliness campaign, encouraging them to dissuade their families from dumping plastic and other pollutants into the Ganga. For cleaning the river, PMC will establish a 'Ganga Task Force' comprising 10 to 50 volunteers at each ghat. These volunteers will not only assist in cleaning but also raise awareness among visitors. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A ddressing the media on Saturday, Prashar said the campaign would be driven by the theme 'Mera Shehar, Meri Jawabdehi' (My City, My Responsibility). "People's participation is equally vital in keeping the city clean. The river plays a crucial role in the ecosystem of a city. A clean river reflects the city's identity. We will involve the youth and create awareness at the ghats through various cleaning activities. In collaboration with the Bihar State Pollution Control Board, we will impose fines on individuals found polluting the Ganga, as per the Act," he said. The Commissioner highlighted the PMC's goal to further improve the city's performance in the upcoming Swachh Survekshan 2025. "We are aiming for a five-star Garbage-Free City (GFC) rating. Last year, we received a one-star rating, and this year we achieved three stars," he noted. He added, "It is essential to continue our campaign against plastic, conduct cleanliness drives, and prioritise waste processing to enhance our city's ranking in the next cleanliness survey. For the waste processing plant at the Ramachak Bairiya landfill site, the back-end work required to initiate the bidding process will be completed within the next two to three months." As part of long-term plans, a 15-megawatt waste-to-energy plant will be set up at the landfill site. In addition, several other waste management facilities will be established, including a 100-tonnes-per-day (TPD) biomethanation plant, a 250-TPD material recovery facility (MRF)-cum-refuse derived fuel plant, a 50-TPD MRF plant, a 700-TPD compost plant, and 325-TPD sanitary landfill units. Other initiatives under this campaign will include the reuse of bottles for plantation ('safety from bottles'), activities to maintain garbage-vulnerable points (GVPs), the 'mission plantation' drive, a 'plastic-free Ganga' initiative, and awareness campaigns like 'say no to plastic' and intensive cleanliness drives across the city.


Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Mizoram: Construction of NIT campus at Lengpui to resume after 6-year halt
Aizawl: Construction of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Mizoram campus at Lengpui near Aizawl will resume after a six-year halt, an official statement issued by the government on Friday said. NIT Mizoram, which opened in 2010, currently functions from a temporary campus in Aizawl ( The Mizoram government has deposited a penalty of ₹1.4 crore to the appropriate office of the union forest ministry, and construction will resume soon, the statement added. The permanent NIT campus project was stalled in 2017 after the Centre for Environment Protection filed a complaint with the National Green Tribunal (NGT), citing unauthorised use of the Tlawng Riverine Reserve Forest without mandatory clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. NIT Mizoram, which opened in 2010, currently functions from a temporary campus in Aizawl, which includes an administrative block and four academic blocks at Chaltlang, three hostels at Tanhril, and one hostel at Durtlang. The institute offers BTech, MTech, and PhD degrees. In 2017, the Centre for Environment Protection filed a complaint with a special bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), alleging encroachment on the Tlawng Riverine Reserve Forest without mandatory forest clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Also Read: Mizoram: Leading the way in education The Mizoram government later submitted a proposal for forest clearance under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for the diversion of 63.44 hectares of land for the construction of the NIT campus in October 2021. The proposal was placed before the Forest Advisory Committee in a meeting on June 13, 2022, which deferred the proposal and sought additional details from the state government. Also Read:Mizoram declared fully literate state under ULLAS initiative 'The state government applied for forest diversion clearance in 2021. By 2023, the government had agreed to deposit ₹20 crore as part of the forest compensation. However, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) later revised the amount to ₹1.4 crore after the intervention of Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma, which has now been deposited, clearing the way for construction to resume,' the official statement said. An amount of ₹669.75 crore was sanctioned for the establishment of the permanent NIT Mizoram campus. The Mizoram government is responsible for providing the land for the campus free of cost and free from encumbrances.


News18
2 days ago
- News18
Tripura steps up efforts to save Indias last ape species
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Agartala, Jul 25 (PTI) The Tripura government unveiled a detailed action plan aimed at protecting the endangered Western Hoolock Gibbon — the only ape species found in India, in a major push for wildlife conservation. This initiative marks a significant milestone in the state's efforts to safeguard its fragile biodiversity and tackle the alarming decline in the gibbon population. Listed as 'endangered" on the IUCN Red List and protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Western Hoolock Gibbon enjoys the highest degree of legal protection. Yet, its numbers have continued to decline over the years, largely due to habitat loss, hunting, and human-wildlife conflicts. Tripura, an ecologically rich state in the northeast, harbours one of the country's last remaining gibbon populations. These agile, tree-dwelling primates are known for their spectacular aerial swings across forest canopies and hauntingly melodic calls that echo through the jungle. But once-flourishing forests have shrunk and fragmented, leaving fewer safe spaces for them to thrive. A survey in 2005 recorded 97 individual gibbons across three forest patches in Tripura. That number has since dipped to 79, divided among 32 groups, officials said. Nationally, the gibbon population stood at about 12,000 two decades ago, but conservationists fear it may now be significantly lower. Tripura University's professor Sabyasachi Dasgupta, who is actively involved in the project, said establishing protocols for long-term population monitoring and restoring degraded forest habitats are part of the action plan. Training forest staff and law enforcement in wildlife protection, conducting ecological and behavioural research and promoting community awareness and participation in conservation are also the goals of it, he said. The gibbons of the state mainly live in protected areas such as Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary in South Tripura, and forests in Gomati and Khowai districts. However, conservationists caution that without proactive steps to prevent further forest degradation, gibbons may vanish from the wild. 'We are emphasising the need to maintain cultural integrity while protecting the gibbons," Dasgupta said. 'Traditional methods like shifting cultivation are deeply rooted, but they often disrupt forest continuity. We need strategies that reduce ecological harm while respecting cultural traditions. Canopy connectivity is crucial for gibbon movement and survival," he added. Divisional Forest Officer of Gomati H Vignesh said gibbons have been spotted in the Amarpur subdivision, though accurate population data is still being collected. Bimal Das, the assistant conservator at Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary, confirmed that eight gibbons are currently thriving within its core zone. Grassroots conservation campaigns are also underway, with NGOs and academics engaging communities living near forest fringes. These programmes aim to reduce human-animal conflict, especially incidents involving crop damage and encroachment, while highlighting the ecological role of gibbons, officials said. As awareness grows and conservation efforts gain momentum, environmentalists believe Tripura has the potential to become a model for gibbon preservation across the region, and a beacon of hope for India's only ape. PTI JOY SOM view comments First Published: July 25, 2025, 10:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.