LAHORE, Pakistan: The Federal Commerce Minister Pervaiz Malik said on Saturday that bright future was the destiny of nations which took extra care of distressed segments of society by enabling them to play their part in economic building of the country.
Federal Commerce Minister, who is also President of Lahore Businessmen Association for Rehabilitation of Disabled (LABARD), along with LCCI President Malik Tahir Javaid inaugurated the LABARD Mela-2017 at Ghulam Jilani (Race Course) Park, here.
Pervaiz Malik expressed pleasure that Lahore businessmen were fulfilling their social corporate responsibility by ensuring that all disabled children of the city were provided proper education and vocational training so that they could join the main stream economic activities.
Appreciating LCCI (Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry) role in making the event a big success, he opined that Lahore Chamber was also extending every possible help to Lahore Businessmen Association for the rehabilitation of disabled persons as they were an important segment of the society and their active participation was necessary for country’s development. He added that there was a need to launch specific programmes for training and education of disabled persons.
He said that it was duty of every citizen to play his role for betterment of the society, citing that over 10 per cent population of all the developing countries consisted of disabled persons that needed to be taken care of by the rest of 90 per cent in the larger interests of the whole society. He said that everyone should cooperate with organizations like LABARD as around 200,000 physically challenged people were waiting for help in the suburbs of Lahore.
LCCI President Malik Tahir Javed suggested that frequency of LABARD Mela should be increased by arranging it twice a year. He said, “We all should make collective efforts for enhancing skills of special persons so that they could become useful members of the society.”
The LCCI President paid tributes to the organizers of the LABARD mela and said that the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry would continue to extend cooperation the LABARD for this noble cause.
Malik Tahir Javed said that there was a provision in the law that private sector and public sector would employ special persons by up to two per cent respectively. He assured that LCCI would continue to motivate its member companies to show a greater compliance to this law and may refer interested members to contact Job Placement Cell of LABARD to have suitable candidates.
Physically disabled thoroughly enjoyed the festival as many games and cultural activities were arranged for them. Many of them performed at the stage as well. Each handicapped was given a present containing some gifts and eateries. LABARD Mela for special children has become an annual cultural event of the city as has since its initiation been participated by a large number of disabled persons who enjoy all the entertainments like other healthy members of the society.
As many as more than 5,000 special children belonging to various institutions took part in different activities at LABARD Mela. The basic aim of holding this Mela is to give encouragement to the disabled persons and make them useful citizens of the society so that they could be able to play a positive role in their future life.
LCCI Vice President Zeshan Khalil, Shaista Pervez Malik, Ahmer Malik, Saeed Khan, Bao Bashir, Shahid Nazir and officers of relevant departments also spoke on the occasion.
Source: APP
