Agartala, The six-day long Divya Kala Mela at the Children’s Park concluded with the distribution of prizes to Divyangjan by the Governor of Tripura, Shri Indrasen Reddy Nallu and Minister of State, GOI Pratima Bhoumik. It is worth mentioning that the six-day Mela organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India was inaugurated on February 6, 2024 by Shri Ratan Lal Nath and Shri Tinku Roy, Minister in the Government of Tripura. The national level Mela being organized across the country for the differently-abled has been named “Divya Kala Mela”.After the successful event in Delhi, Mumbai, Bhopal, Guwahati, Indore, Jaipur, Varanasi, Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Karnataka, Chennai, Patna, Surat, Nagpur, the event has been organized in Agartala. Shri Naveen Shah, CMD, NDFDC, MLA and Chairman, SC Welfare Corporation, Shri Pinaki Das Chaudhary, President, OBC Welfare Corporation, Shri Mrinal Kantinath, Member, National Advisory Board and Senior Social Activist Shri Uttam Ojha were present at the closing ceremony of Divya Kala Mela. Persons with disabilities and their associated representatives of government and non-government organizations, ALIMCO, and media representatives were also present in the Mela.
In the coming time, such Melas have been planned in other Metropolitan cities of the country. In all these national Melas, some stalls are also kept for local disabled people. The Agartala Mela also has more than 20 participants from North Eastern states. During the Mela, loans worth more than Rs 3.6 crore were sanctioned to Divyangjan, OBC, SC, Assistive devices were distributed to Divyangjan. Several senior officers from various departments came and encouraged the disabled. This Mela also received a lot of love from the public. In this Mela, DDRC organized an exclusive job Mela for Divyangjan. Private sector company Swiggy has provided job offer letters to 7 differently-abled people for jobs. Punjab National Bank (PNB), partner bank of National Divyangjan Finance and Development Corporation (NDFDC) and IDBI Bank registered Divyangjan desirous of self-employment loan. Every day Best Buyer was honored on the Mela stage for increasing sales in the Mela. Prizes were awarded to those who did good work in the Mela under five categories.
For the first time in Tripura, such a large scale exhibition/exhibition called “Divya Kala Mela” for differently abled entrepreneurs and their organizations is being organized. A Mela was organized. About 60 differently abled artisans, entrepreneurs, artists from 16 States and Union Territories showcased their products and skills in this six-day Mela organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India). Women entrepreneurs/entrepreneurs participated in the Mela. The Divya Kala Mela included products from home décor and lifestyle, textiles, stationery and eco-friendly products, packaged food and organic products, toys and gifts, personal accessories, jewellery, clutch bags etc. Cultural programs (dance, singing etc.) were organized daily by professional artists to entertain the people visiting the Mela. Cultural programmes were also presented by Divyangjan. Through this Mela, Divyangjan has so far received about Rs. 20,00,000/- Traded more than. Purchase assurances have also been received from many companies and institutions providing vocational training to Divyangjan also participated in the Mela.
Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), CRC Agartala, DDRC, ICFAI, University, Tripura participated in the Mela. The Mela became a platform to highlight the various hidden talents of Divyangjan. Many people visited the Mela and this effort was appreciated. There is a plan to organize such a Mela in many cities of the country. The next Mela will be held in Ahmedabad and Shimla. Various government and non-government organizations played a good role in making the Mela successful.
Apart from print and electronic media, the Mela also received a lot of coverage through social media. There was full support from the local administration, police, administration and the Tripura government.
