Porvorim: Goa would be the first state in the country to skill the differently abled persons and give them the certificate which would be equivalent to the SSC or HSSC examination of Goa Board.
Chief minister Pramod Sawant made this announcement while declaring the dates for International Purple Fest 2025.
Sawant said that while people with physical disability manage to get through the formal education, the challenge is about those who are mentally challenged.
Sawant said that Goa government has decided to skill the differently abled persons and their training would be considered as a course on par with tenth or twelfth standard of education of state board.
“Once they are skilled they will get the certificate which is equivalent to tenth or twelfth standard. That will help them to apply for the jobs. There is already four per cent reservation for differently abled persons in the government set up,” he added.
PURPLE FEST BETWEEN OCT 9-12
The upcoming edition of International Purple Fest, 2025 will be held in Goa from October 9-12 in Panaji, chief minister Pramod Sawant announced on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference in presence of State minister for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Subhash Phal Desai and others, Sawant said that the festival aims to shift our mindset of looking at differently abled people from “sympathy to empowerment.”
He said that the these persons need to be empowered. “Also, just an awareness about differently abled person is not enough, we need to have strong action to empower them,” he said.
The International Purple Fest Goa 2025 is a landmark global event promoting inclusion and accessibility, he said.
Sawant said that the event is hosted by the Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Government of Goa, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, and United Nations India.
The chief minister said that total 12 per cent of state’s population is differently abled either physically or psychologically.
Sawant said that the 2024 edition of International Purple Fest had participants from 15 countries attending it. “This year, we are expecting participation from more countries,” he added.