Daily Archives: June 28, 2018

K A Chandrasekharan passes away

Thiruvananthapuram :

K A Chandrasekharan, a strong voice for the disabled and the first blind person to be appointed as lecturer by Kerala Public Service Commission  on merit, breathed his last at Medical College Hospital here on Wednesday. He was 75.

A native of  Veliyam in Kollam  district, Chandrasekharan had dedicated over fifty years of his life for welfare and rehabilitation of disabled persons. He was a driving force behind several national and regional initiatives for developing policies and programmes for the disabled.

The cremation will be held at 10:30am on Thursday, on the premises of his residence at Veliyam.

Late Dr Jagadamma was his wife. He is survived by three children-Felicia Chandrasekhar, Rishi  Chandrasekhar and Kavi C J.

He played an instrumental role in framing Persons With Disabilities Act, 1995. He served as a member of the working group constituted by the Planning Commission in preparation of plan documents consecutively for three five-year plans (9th, 10th and 11th) with regard to secondary and higher secondary education for the disabled.

For long, he had held various positions in Kerala  Federation of the Blind.

Chandrasekharan went as a delegate to the UN – ESCAP conference in Osaka, Japan which issued Osaka  Decade Declaration 2002, urging a barrier-free inclusive and right-based society for persons with disabilities.

He had served as the member of technical committee under Bureau of Indian Standards for granting standards and ISI mark to assistive devices for the handicapped.

Chandrasekharan was also a member of NCERT expert committee for developing national curriculum framework in schools, representing disability sector.

State president of the Kerala Federation of the Blind K J Vargheese, in his condolence message, remembered Chandrasekharan as a towering personality who relentlessly worked towards the upliftment of the disabled and said his demise left behind a deep vacuum in the society.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Thiruvananthapuram News / TNN / June 28th, 2018

Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council to bring out online directory of artisans, doyens

The Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) will launch an exclusive initiative to collate data on skilled artisans, dancers and other artists as part of a project.

Kochi :

The Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) will launch an exclusive initiative to collate data on skilled artisans, dancers and other artists as part of a project under the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission. To promote experimental tourism, an online directory having details regarding artists, including their name, coordinates, biodata and details of stage performances, will be brought out.

The initiative, which will help people from across the globe access the state’s traditional art forms, handicraft products and artisans, will be launched by the end of this month. The online directory will provide an opportunity for academics, travellers and event organisers reach them directly. The Tourism Department has been working towards promoting experiential tourism wherein travellers get a chance to familiarise with exotic locales by connecting with the history of the region, its culture and people.

S Vijayakumar, secretary, DTPC Ernakulam, said a secure method will be introduced to verify the skills of artists. “It will revive old and fading art forms of the region, while providing support to the artists. Kerala has immense potential for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) tourism. And, we believe this initiative will enable artisans to showcase traditional art forms to a global audience, thereby promoting the cultural heritage of the state,” he said.

Meanwhile, the DTPC has planned to entrust Kudumbashree volunteers with tasks such as cleaning and operating parking lots in tourist centres and beaches.  In this way, the members of the women’s self-help group (SHG) will be stakeholders in managing the locales and ensuring cleanliness.  Also, they will manage the food kiosks, while focusing on the implementation of the green protocol.

Under the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission, the endeavour will support the regional community economically with sustainable living and employment generation in a major way.Owing to the easy air connectivity, Ernakulam owns the privilege of being one of the most-visited places by foreign travellers. In 2017, Ernakulam hosted 32,85,088 vacationers, an increase of 12.4 per cent as compared to 4,07,653 travellers in 2016. Luxury hotels and heritage sites such as Muziris and Fort Kochi are some of the major attractions of this place.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Service / June 26th, 2018