DHAKA, Apr 3: Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina Monday asked the corporate sector and private organisations to provide jobs for autistic and physically disabled people to utilise their merits in nation-building activities, reports UNB.

"The present government wants to utilise the talents of physically disabled people in building a bright future for the nation," she told the inaugural programmes of the 5th World Autism Awareness Day- 2012 at Osmani Memorial auditorium.

"The autistic and physically disabled people are our near and dear ones," she said urging all to stand beside them, treat them like other people and help them flourish their talents.

Hasina mentioned that her government preserved one per cent quota for disabled people and autistic people in all first and second class jobs, including BCS, and 10 per cent in class three and class four jobs for disabled people and orphans and the their age-limit for entering the services has been extended up to 40 years.

She said 35 service and support centres were established across the country under the National Disabled Persons Development Foundation (NDPDF).

A process is underway to build a full-fledged multipurpose complex for the disabled persons under the NDPDF which will play a role as a centre of excellence to address the problems of disabled person, she said.

Hasina said autism is a health problem relating to the disorder of neural development which still has no known curing treatment and called upon all ranging from family members to individuals of society to come forward with utmost sincerely to address the problems.

She cited the example of scientists Einstein, Darwin and Newton who passed a certain time of their lives in disability. "Nobel laureate Irish litterateur William Butler Yeats, Danish poet Hans Andersen and world's greatest music composers Beethoven, Mozart and Richard were physically disabled."

Hasina said the government has taken initiatives so that disabled people can have access to facilities created for building a Digital Bangladesh helping them acquire knowledge as well as find out employment.

Referring to the enactment of the special coordinated education policy for the disabled persons in 2009, she said the government is providing hundred per cent salaries and allowances to 55 private schools for disable persons. "A free autistic school has been established in Dhaka," she said adding that the number of scholarships for them has also been increased.

Source: http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com