Cuttack: Around 44 stalls at this year’s Bali Jatra in Odisha’s Cuttack city, showcasing products by a group of transgenders and differently-abled persons, have become a hit with the visitors.
Besides, the famous Achar & Pampad of Berhampur, various handmade items such as earrings, cosmetics, and household items are being sold at these stalls provided to them for free by Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Department of the Odisha government.
This opportunity has helped them become independent. Athagarh sub-division disability empowerment wing officer Umesh Chandra Sahoo has also appealed to visitors to encourage them by purchasing items from their stalls.
“I thank the government for encouraging the specially-abled persons by allowing them to put stalls during Cuttack Bali Jatra, Puri Rath Yatra, and also during the Sisir Saras exhibition in Bhubaneswar free of cost every year,” said a member of Patitapaban Seva Sangha in Nimapada.
The SSEPD department has been providing such opportunities for the last eight years. Besides, their overnight accommodation is also arranged by the government.
