Goa| January 6: India’s first-of-its-kind inclusivity, ‘Purple Fest: Celebrating Diversity’ began in a glorious ceremony in Goa today. Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, Minister for Social Welfare, Goa government Subhash PhalDessai were present on this occasion.The festival aims to showcase how we can come together to create a welcoming and inclusive world for everyone.Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar also visited an exhibition cum sale of products by Divyangjans and interacted with the participants. He was present to witness the grand opening of Purple Fest, India’s first of its kind inclusivity festival.The festival aims to showcase how we can come together to create a welcoming and inclusive world for everyone.Earlier, Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar inaugurated a two day sensitization workshop on ‘’Issues relating to Empowerment of persons with Disabilities’ in association with the Purple Festival in Goa. The objective of the workshop was to sensitize the Government, Non-Govt, Corporate Sector about their role to create an inclusive society and also to have a co-ordinated approach towards the empowerment of Divyangjan. Shri Subhash Phal Dessai, Minister for Social Welfare, River Navigation, Archives and Archeology, Government of Goa, Shri Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, Department of Empowerment of persons with Disabilities, Govt. of India were present on this occasion.Addressing the gathering, Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar said, Goa was earlier known for its New Year celebrations but now with the introduction of Purple Fest, Goa will establish a milestone in Divyangjan empowerment. “Through the ‘Divya Kala Mela’ [which was held in December 2022 in Delhi], we have experienced that Divyangjan can be entrepreneurs and they come up with innovative ideas”, he noted.He stated that the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act was introduced in 2016 to ensure that persons with disabilities are empowered. He said that since then, the act has helped to bring accessibility, confidence and self-reliance to the lives of ‘Divyangjan’. This will help achieve the vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’, added Dr. Virendra Kumar.Dr. Virendra Kumar further said that, Goa has organized a unique purple festival, which will go long way in furthering the agenda of empowerment of Divyangjan. Observing that such festivities that celebrate the spirit of inclusivity are essential for boosting the confidence of persons with disabilities as well as sensitizing society towards their needs and issues, he remarked that the Purple Festival will also give a new direction to the growth and development of our society. The two day workshop focuses on improving accessibility, implementation-related issues of various schemes and programmes for Persons with Disabilities, innovations and action plans in the field of accessibility. Representatives of States/UTs Government and some of the eminent NGOs participated in the workshop.
