One day 'Purple Fest' organized at Rashtrapati Bhavan for Divyangjan

A one-day 'Purple Fest' has been organized for the disabled on February 26, 2024 in the Amrit Udyan of Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Draupadi Murmu attended cultural presentations by disabled individuals at the 'Purple Fest'.

Purple Fest organized:

• It was organized by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. More than 14000 people participated in this ‘Purple Fest’.
• Following the cultural programmes, the President engaged in interactions with persons with disabilities.

Objective of organizing Purple Fest:

• Purple Fest aims to raise awareness about various types of disabilities and their adverse effects on people's lives. Promoting understanding, acceptance, and inclusion of persons with disabilities in society is essential.

Various activities organized during Purple Fest:

• During the 'Purple Fest,' various activities were organized for visitors, including:
  • Know your disability
  • Purple Cafe
  • Purple Kaleidoscope
  • Purple Live Experience Zone
  • Purple Sports

About Disability:

• Under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, a person with disabilities is one whose physical, mental, intellectual or sensory abilities are affected long-term.
• This disability prevents them from participating fully and effectively in society. The four main categories of disability are as follows:
  • Behavioral or emotional
  • Sensory impaired disorders
  • Physical
  • Developmental
• Globally, 1.3 billion people are forced to live with some form of disability. Of these, about 80% reside in developing countries. While 70% of them live in rural areas.
• Current social systems are designed for individuals without disabilities. They prove to be exclusionary for persons with disabilities. As a result, disabled people have to face many problems. 

Current status of persons with disabilities in India:

• According to World Bank data, 5-8% of India's population is suffering from disability.
• NSSO estimates that 2.2% of the population in India is disabled.
• According to the NFHS-5 survey (2019-21), 4.52% of the population in India is disabled.

Initiatives taken for empowerment of persons with disabilities:

• ILO and the International Fund for Agricultural Development are implementing the Sparking Disability Inclusive Rural Transformation (SPARK) project in collaboration with Mahila Vikas Nigam in Maharashtra.
• Many other schemes are being implemented for the empowerment of persons with disabilities, mainly the following:
  • Accessible India Campaign
  • Unique Disability Identification Portal
  • DeenDayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme
  • Unique ID for persons with disabilities (UDID)
  • Scheme of Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/fitting of Aids and Appliances.
  • National Fellowship for Students with Disabilities