M’laya first state in North east to embed mental well-being within governance

Meghalaya became the first state in the Northeast to embed mental well-being within governance, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said on Wednesday.
“We have fully implemented the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act and also rules to implement the Act and also framed the state policy for empowerment of PwDs,” Sangma said during the International Day of Persons with Disabilities here at the U Soso Tham Auditorium.
The Chief Minister lauded several PwD who have risen against all odds and have become achievers and beacons of hope and inspiration in various fields.
“Our state-wide community-based rehabilitation network reaches all districts and 46 blocks with over 70 percent UDID coverage with 32,000 PwDs having their identity cards,” he said, adding that 58 merit-based scholarships are awarded annually with 370 students who have benefitted.
Moreover, the District Resource Centres provide physiotherapy, speech therapy, audiology and early intervention services.
Sangma informed that 41 government buildings were made fully accessible with 84 government websites accessible.
The Chief Minister also said that the Meghalaya Sign Bank App, 10,000 signs which was nationally awarded, ensures digital participation for all.
He said Meghalaya focus has shifted from “charity to rights, from pity to dignity and from labels to abilities,” adding, the true measure of a society is not how it treats the strong, but how it uplifts those who face challenges.
“Through the Meghalaya Grassroots Music Project, we created the Eastern Brook Band, musicians with disabilities, who now carry our state’s story to the world,” Sangma said.
Highlighting some of the initiatives taken for the PwDs, he said, a disability anthem “Echoes of Unity,” was released earlier this year. Moreover, a PwD-run Common Service Centre has been established, identified 30 PwD entrepreneurs and eight so far have been funded with Rs 2.5 lakh each. “Let us pledge that in Meghalaya, no dream will be too distant, no voice too faint, and no ability too small to matter,” the Chief Minister said concluding his address.
The Chief Minister also felicitated the outstanding PwDs and also gave the awards to the winners of the Inclusive Film Festival, EMPOWERFEST.
Inauguration of K-9 Sniffer Dogs Canine Unit and MoU with Sankaradeva College for State Wide Drugs Survey also formed a part of the occasion.