Prime Minister coined the term divyang: Yogi
CM asks for function to be held to honour Tokyo Paralympics medallists
VARANASI : Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi coined the word divyang, instead of handicapped, and, in the last seven years, many programmes were organised for distributing artificial limbs and assistive devices to the differently-abled people within the country, even at the district level.
The chief minister was addressing people at the Sampurnanand Sports Stadium in Varanasi after distributing prizes to cricketers who participated in the T-20 National Divyang Cricket Tournament.
He also noted that the day marked the completion of 20 years in public office by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, first as Gujarat chief minister and then as PM, and it coincided with the culmination of the BJP’s Seva Aur Samarpan Abhiyan to mark the occasion.
He asked the state’s divyangjan empowerment minister to make preparations to hold a function in which the Uttar Pradesh government will honour the Tokyo Paralympics medallists. Observing that 54 players from India participated in the Tokyo Paralympics, he said the country won 19 medals at the event, including five gold, eight silver and six bronze.
The Uttar Pradesh government would soon honour the para-athletes and give them a big amount, he added.
He praised the para-athletes for not letting disability hinder their pursuit of excellence in sport. “If you have passion and courage, even the biggest obstacles can be overcome,” he said.
He expressed the hope that India would become a superpower under the leadership of PM Modi and said he sought blessings from Kashi Vishwanath, the presiding deity of Varanasi which is also the PM’s Lok Sabha constituency, and the Ganga for Modi’s success.
The chief minister distributed artificial limbs and assistive devices on the occasion.
“Today (Thursday), Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed two decades of public service as Prime Minister and Chief Minister. On this occasion, I sought blessings from Kashi Vishwanath and Maa Ganga that the country may touch new heights of success constantly under leadership of PM Modi, may he succeed in making India a superpower,” he said.