By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT), the charitable wing of IMFA in partnership with Swabhiman, the State Disability Information and Resource Centre have conducted an empowering program to distribute standing wheelchairs and laptops to people with disabilities from different parts of Odisha here on Thursday .
The articles were distributed in a simple function organised maintaining COVID -19 guidelines at AGM hall , IMFA building , Bhubaneswar . Smt. Sulochana Das , State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities,Odisha was the chief guest on this occasion. Ms Paramita Panda, Trustee, IMPaCT, Vice Chairman & MD of UMSL and Dr Sruti Mohapatra, Founder & CEO Swabhiman were present at the event to encourage the recipients & spoke on this occasion .
Dr. Mohapatra praised Ms. Panda for her consistent support in providing scholarships to meritorious students with disabilities since the past ten years. She highlighted the need of assistive devices like standing wheelchairs, educational aids like laptops for people with disabilities to contribute their best. Ms. Panda encouraged students with disabilities to continue their education with zeal and determination and become assets for their families and the country. She also motivated the sports persons to work hard and bring laurels to Odisha and India.
On this occasion , Sulochana Das spoke about the commitment of the government towards the empowerment and development of people with disabilities. She also elaborated on the activities being taken up by the office of SCPD in this direction. She along with Smt. Panda and Dr. Mohapatra, distributed the Standing Wheelchairs developed in an incubation lab in IIT to five deserving persons and the laptops to meritorious students. She felicitated Kamalkant Nayak, Spinal Cord Injured Person, from Puri district, the First Disabled Marathon Runner of Odisha. They also felicitated the first Wheelchair Tennis Players of Odisha. At the end of the meeting , Sri Kishore Mohan Mohanty, Head, Corporate Affairs of IMFA gave vote of thanks to all the dignitaries & recipients .
Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT) is a charitable wing of IMFA Ltd. IMPaCT was formed in 1974 under the leadership of eminent Odia industrialist Dr Bansidhar Panda and Mrs Ila Panda with a noble mission to promote literature, art & music, sports and social activities in Odisha and generally working towards uplifting the under-privileged sections of society. The philanthropic venture resulted in many initiatives in education, healthcare, literature, art & music, sports and social activities. The annual “Ekalabya Puraskar” to encourage budding Odia sportspersons and the “Sarala Puraskar” for outstanding contribution to Odia literature are the major initiatives by the Trust. The noble work initiated by the founders is now carried forward by Ms Paramita Panda, Trustee, IMPaCT.
