Shekhawat calls for 'life with dignity" for leprosy-cured persons

Wardha, Gujarat, Apr 12 (UNI) Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat today called for proper rehabilitation of leprosy-cured persons, and appealed to the business houses to come forward towards creating more and more opportunities for such people.

Presenting the International Gandhi Award instituted by Gandhi Memorial Leprosy Foundation for the year 2006 here, Mr Shekhawat regretted that most of the leprosy patients even after they were cured remained poor and had no access to basic amenities like education, healthcare, shelter and remunerative employment.

He observed that to integrate these people into the mainstream is the ''biggest challenge'' before society.

If they were provided tangible facilities and support systems such persons could also lead a life with dignity, the Vice-President said, adding that he had found these people willing to work hard, and prove themselves as useful members of society.

''Their productivity is manifested in a wide range of activities such as handlooms, handicrafts, poultry, cow-shed, spare parts production, garment production, shops and enterprises,'' Mr Shekhawat said.

The Vice-President also wanted that the civil society organisations and the business houses should also take the responsibility of upbringing the children of leprosy-cured persons and providing them education so that they could also be made capable of making their presence felt in the fast changing economic environment.

Mr Shekhawat presented the International Gandhi Award to Mr Yohei Sasakawa for his work in leprosy eradication. The award carried Rs 2 lakh cash, a medallion and a citation.

While noting that all efforts should be directed towards post-leprosy elimination operations, which will be more social, economic and humane and less medical, the Vice-President observed that there was still a long way to go in this direction.

Leprosy eradication, in all its dimensions, still continued to be an unfinished task, he said. ''Let us pool our efforts to stamp out leprosy and its ugly manifestations from our midst,'' he added.

UNI