Centre’s stall giving out assistive devices to elderly, disabled at Kumbh

Prayagraj/Delhi: When 80-year-old Shyamkali Chaturvedi came from Nari Bari village to the Maha Kumbh to perform kalpwas – a month-long rigorous spiritual practice of staying along the banks of the Triveni and offering prayers – she could barely hear and struggled to walk. Ten days into her stay, the enthusiastic granny sees hope of living a more wholesome life in her twilight years. She happily points towards a newly fitted hearing aid and a walking stick that she was provided when she went out seeking a solution to her problem to the Pavillion of the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment (MoSJE) in Mahakumbh Nagar's sector 7 where a set-up for providing assistive devices has been created for seniors and persons with disabilities.Shyamkali is one of the over 3400 senior citizens from poor and low-income families who are experiencing a newfound sense of empowerment since they were provided assistive devices free of cost based on their eligibility under the Centre Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana through Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) – a PSU under MoSJE . So far, over 18,000 devices worth around Rs 2.5 crore have been given to the beneficiaries based on their requirements.Besides UP, people who have come here to seek assistance belong to Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Haryana. Most of them are either farmers, labourers or make a living from small shops they run.Conversations with the seniors show that the elderly often lack the resources or the information to access enabling devices that can make their life comfortable. Shyamkali Chaturvedi who has been coming her for kalpwas during the month of 'Magha' for 45 years now, shared that due to hearing loss, she was managing to get through life by following the lip movement of her family members to make sense of what they were trying to say. Now equipped with the hearing aid after due guidance from an audiologist, when asked about her experience, she summed up her sentiments by singing a bhajan to express her sense of hope.From a family of farmers, Chaturvedi is accompanied to the Kumbh by her children. Her daughter Vimla, who is in her 60s, came to assist her mother at the stall but in the end chose to also undergo an assessment for the difficulty she faces while walking. It turned out that she required a walking stick to improve her balance and a belt for the spine and a brace for the knee. Besides these devices, Vimla was also given a wheelchair for long-term use. She said it will make getting around the Kumbh mela also easier for her.Similar stories abound. Hailing from Koraon in Prayagraj, farmer couple Ramrati and her husband Munnilal have found support in a walking stick and hearing aid respectively. Bhola Jha and his wife Meera Devi are residents of Faridabad who are in Prayagraj for kalpwas. At the stall the seniors were provided with a walking stick and wheelchair each to get around more easily.Many sadhus have also visited the camp for help. Ramsvarup Das, a 79-year-old resident of Mahoba in UP, said that he has come to Kumbh from Chitrakoot in Madhya Pradesh. He has a rod implanted in his right leg. On being provided a wheelchair and a walking stick, Das expressed hope of enjoying the Kumbh with more ease and comfort.Of the total beneficiaries so far, over 1200 are women. The devices have been provided after an assessment by Rehabilitation Council of India professionals. Mobility is a clear concern and therefore one finds that as of Thursday over 6200 knee braces, 3,200 specialised lumbar sacral belts for the spine, and over 3,000 walking sticks have been provided to seniors. For those who need to take breaks while walking, ALIMCO has kept walking sticks with a seat and has so far given it to over 120 seniors. Also, more than 2300 silicon cushions have been given to prevent bed sores. Besides this, wheelchairs have been provided to over 1000 persons and hearing aids to over 400.ALIMCO CMD Praveen Kumar told TOI that the number of the elderly coming into the stall for assessment and devices has been increasing with every passing day as the message is spreading fast across the mela with beneficiaries returning to share with others.Prayagraj/Delhi: When 80-year-old Shyamkali Chaturvedi came from Nari Bari village to the Maha Kumbh to perform kalpwas – a month-long rigorous spiritual practice of staying along the banks of the Triveni and offering prayers – she could barely hear and struggled to walk. Ten days into her stay, the enthusiastic granny sees hope of living a more wholesome life in her twilight years. She happily points towards a newly fitted hearing aid and a walking stick that she was provided when she went out seeking a solution to her problem to the Pavillion of the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment (MoSJE) in Mahakumbh Nagar's sector 7 where a set-up for providing assistive devices has been created for seniors and persons with disabilities.Shyamkali is one of the over 3400 senior citizens from poor and low-income families who are experiencing a newfound sense of empowerment since they were provided assistive devices free of cost based on their eligibility under the Centre Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana through Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) – a PSU under MoSJE . So far, over 18,000 devices worth around Rs 2.5 crore have been given to the beneficiaries based on their requirements.Besides UP, people who have come here to seek assistance belong to Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Haryana. Most of them are either farmers, labourers or make a living from small shops they run.Conversations with the seniors show that the elderly often lack the resources or the information to access enabling devices that can make their life comfortable. Shyamkali Chaturvedi who has been coming her for kalpwas during the month of 'Magha' for 45 years now, shared that due to hearing loss, she was managing to get through life by following the lip movement of her family members to make sense of what they were trying to say. Now equipped with the hearing aid after due guidance from an audiologist, when asked about her experience, she summed up her sentiments by singing a bhajan to express her sense of hope.From a family of farmers, Chaturvedi is accompanied to the Kumbh by her children. Her daughter Vimla, who is in her 60s, came to assist her mother at the stall but in the end chose to also undergo an assessment for the difficulty she faces while walking. It turned out that she required a walking stick to improve her balance and a belt for the spine and a brace for the knee. Besides these devices, Vimla was also given a wheelchair for long-term use. She said it will make getting around the Kumbh mela also easier for her.Similar stories abound. Hailing from Koraon in Prayagraj, farmer couple Ramrati and her husband Munnilal have found support in a walking stick and hearing aid respectively. Bhola Jha and his wife Meera Devi are residents of Faridabad who are in Prayagraj for kalpwas. At the stall the seniors were provided with a walking stick and wheelchair each to get around more easily.Many sadhus have also visited the camp for help. Ramsvarup Das, a 79-year-old resident of Mahoba in UP, said that he has come to Kumbh from Chitrakoot in Madhya Pradesh. He has a rod implanted in his right leg. On being provided a wheelchair and a walking stick, Das expressed hope of enjoying the Kumbh with more ease and comfort.Of the total beneficiaries so far, over 1200 are women. The devices have been provided after an assessment by Rehabilitation Council of India professionals. Mobility is a clear concern and therefore one finds that as of Thursday over 6200 knee braces, 3,200 specialised lumbar sacral belts for the spine, and over 3,000 walking sticks have been provided to seniors. For those who need to take breaks while walking, ALIMCO has kept walking sticks with a seat and has so far given it to over 120 seniors. Also, more than 2300 silicon cushions have been given to prevent bed sores. Besides this, wheelchairs have been provided to over 1000 persons and hearing aids to over 400.ALIMCO CMD Praveen Kumar told TOI that the number of the elderly coming into the stall for assessment and devices has been increasing with every passing day as the message is spreading fast across the mela with beneficiaries returning to share with others.