Mumbai, 17

Oct (HS): Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma said that persons with

disabilities can be made self-reliant by giving them proper opportunities,

encouragement and respect. He appealed to business houses to support

initiatives related to empowerment of persons with disabilities through their

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.

Varma was speaking during inauguration of 'Mitti

Cafe' run by the handicapped adults at Oberoi Skycity Mall in Borivali, Mumbai on

Saturday. He described the initiative as an inspiring example of social

inclusion and self-reliance. He said that more important than the working style

of persons with disabilities is their competence, sincerity and dedication.

Given the right environment and opportunities, they can contribute

significantly to the development of society. He stressed that mere empathy is

not enough, but concrete steps need to be taken for social change.

The Governor informed that Mitti Cafe outlets are

also operational at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Supreme Court, High Courts and

International Airports of Mumbai, Bengaluru and Navi Mumbai. He also talked

about exploring the possibility of starting such a cafe in Maharashtra Lok

Bhavan.

Alina Alam, founder of Mitti Cafe, said the social

enterprise, which started in 2017, has grown from a small table and umbrella to

about 80 locations across the country. Disabled persons run cafes in these

centres. So far, more than two crore cups of coffee have been served and more

than eight million food plates have been distributed to the economically weaker

sections.

MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar, CEO of Skycity Mall Tanu

Prasad, CEO of 'Project Mumbai' Shishir Joshi along with other dignitaries,

Divyang members and their parents were present at the event.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Ajay Vasant Mardikar