
Accurate national disability statistics are essential, says NGO
The Hindu
Sarthak, an NGO working to empower persons with disabilities, said accurate statistics would help ensure the overall well-being of the disabled population, and help monitor trends in the prevalence of disabilities
Socio-demographic data and functional status data of persons with disabilities (PwDs) is the need of hour, a disability rights organisation has said. Sarthak, an NGO working to empower persons with disabilities through various activities, has called for accurate national disability statistics to help identify the needs and the amount of institutional support required by PwDs. Most PwDs do not have access to quality healthcare, transport facilities, education and training and employment, the organisation has said.
In , the grape capital of India and host of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela every 12 years, environmental concerns over a plan to cut 1,800 trees for the proposed Sadhugram project in the historic Tapovan area have sharpened political fault lines ahead of local body elections. The issue has pitted both Sena factions against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. While Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief, and Uddhav Thackeray, chief of the Shiv Sena (UBT), remain political rivals, their parties have found rare common ground in Tapovan, where authorities propose clearing trees across 34 acres to build Sadhugram and a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) hub, as part of a ₹300-crore infrastructure push linked to the pilgrimage.












