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Duty, Not Pity for the Handicapped  129

was seen with suspicion about his abilities. For the first time,
we appointed a blind person as the Director of the Commission.
I requested him to leave his position of a professor at a college
in order to take up this post. This has led to the entire approach
changing. A person who has undergone pain is bound to
understand the pain of others.

     There is another major decision taken by our government.
Earlier, even a handicapped child needed thirty-five marks to
pass an examination. We need to understand that a normal child
can lift a book faster than a handicapped child. Therefore, for
the first time in India, this State Government has ruled that a
handicapped child can pass an examination with twenty marks.
This change is not large in itself; but if we can empathize with
the problems of the common man, God will inspire us to take
good decisions.

     I have several private sector industrialists who insist on
employing handicapped persons for special tasks. They earn a
special sense of fulfilment by enabling such persons to earn their
living. Most of them do not even apply for any award to the
government. Such tasks cannot be carried out by the government
alone. The State Government tries to felicitate those who serve
the handicapped through awards. We are not declaring the tasks
done by us; only asking society to notice the good things which
have been done.

In the Service of Leprosy Patients

     In order to realize the government’s goal of a healthy society
and to take proper care of the health of every citizen of the state,
the State Government has created specialized health plans and
has been successful in completely eradicating diseases such as
polio and leprosy from the state.

     Along with the unparalleled services provided by social
organizations that believe in the humane approach advocated
by Mahatma Gandhi for the treatment and care of leprosy
patients, the health department of the state has adopted a holistic
approach that has yielded dramatic results. The occurrence of
leprosy which was 21.1 per 10,000 in 1985 has now reduced to
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