Lok Sabha Question No. 3468 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-21
Subject: Books for Blind Students
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: C.S. PUTTARAJU

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3468 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.12.2015

## Books for Blind Students

3468. SHRI C. S. PUTTA RAJU:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken note that books with audio facility through special techniques are being provided to blind students studying in different universities, institutes and colleges in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the colleges and university administration are providing all the required books and notes to the blind students;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

- (a)  &  (b):  Yes,  Madam.  As  per  the  information  furnished  by  the  National  Institute  for  the  Visually Handicapped(NIVH), an autonomous body of the Department of Disability Affairs, speaking books/talking books are being provided to blind students studying in different Universities, institutes and colleges in the country by the NIVH and 38 other voluntary organizations, as on 18 th December, 2015. A list  of  39  talking  book libraries in the country is enclosed at Annexure. Some of these are functioning from University/college premises. Also, 175 books in 6 languages have been converted, under a project in National Mission on Education through Information and Communications Technology(NMEICT), into 'Accessible Study Material' in e-text DAISY format for the benefit of 'Print Impaired Students'. (c) to (e): In addition to the facilities made available by the NIVH and the Department of Disability Affairs for the blind students under its scheme of Assistance to Disabled Persons(ADIP), the University Grants Commission  (UGC),  under  the  component  of  'Providing  Special  Equipment  to  augment  Educational Services  for  Differently-abled  Persons'  in  its  scheme  of  Higher  Education  for  Persons  with  special Needs  (HEPSN),  encourages  Universities  and  Colleges  to  procure  devices  such  as  computers  with screen reading software, low-vision aids scanners, mobility devices etc. and provide facility of Readers to enrich the educational experiences of visually challenged students. The Guidelines of the Scheme are and Colleges,
- available at http://www.ugc.ac.in/pdfnews/1604485\_person-with-disabilities-Uni.pdf http://www.ugc.ac.in/pdfnews/5471032\_person-with-disabilities.pdf for Universities and respectively.

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Annexure  referred  to  in  reply  to  part  (a)  &  (b)  of  the  Lok  Sabha  Unstarred  Question  No.  3468  for 21.12.2015 asked by Shri C.S.Putta Raju regarding Books for Blind Students

|   Sl. No. | Name of the Organisation                                                                 | Address                                                                                          |
|-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Saksham                                                                                  | 486 Double Storey, New Rajendra Nagar, New Delhi- 110060                                         |
|         2 | Nab- Delhi                                                                               | Sector 5, R. K. Puram New Delhi-110022                                                           |
|         3 | The Blind Relief Association                                                             | Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, New Delhi-110 003.                                                     |
|         4 | Score Foundation                                                                         | 17/107 Lower Ground Floor, Vikram Vihar, Lajpat Nagar-4 New Delhi-110024                         |
|         5 | St Xaviers Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged                                   | Saint Xaviers College, 5, MahapalikaMarg, Mumbai- 400001                                         |
|         6 | Blind Peoples Association - Kol                                                          | 6B Panchanantala Road, 2nd Floor, Kolkata - 700029                                               |
|         7 | NAB- Chandigarh                                                                          | Room No:2 Second Floor, Karuna Sadan Building, Sector-11B Chandigarh                             |
|         8 | Arushi                                                                                   | 1 Shivaji nagar, Near Gas Rahat Court, Bhopal 462016                                             |
|         9 | NAB- Mount ABU                                                                           | East View , Coomie P. Merwanji Marg, Dilwara Road,, Mount Abu-307501 (Rajasthan )                |
|        10 | Shubham                                                                                  | First Floor, Agarwal Bhawan, Jawaharlal Road, Muzaffarpur-842001 ( Bihar )                       |
|        11 | University of Delhi                                                                      | Central Library , University of Delhi, Delhi -110007                                             |
|        12 | Mitra Jyoti                                                                              | CA Site P - 22, 18th cross, 31st Main, - 1, HSR Layout, Behind NIFT College, Bangalore - 560 102 |
|        13 | National Talking Book Library, National Institute for the Visually Handicapped, Dehradun | 116 Rajpur Road, Dehradun 248001                                                                 |
|        14 | Samarthanam Trust                                                                        | #11, Villasuchitha , 17 th "A" Main, 1st Cross, 2nd Phase, J.P. Nagar, Banglore-560078           |
|        15 | NIVH Chennai                                                                             | No: 522 Trunk Road, Near Karayan Chavadi, Poonamallee, Chennai, Tamil Nadu-56                    |
|        16 | Samrita Trust                                                                            | Plot no: 54, Vayupuri, Secunderabad-500094                                                       |
|        17 | RSVI                                                                                     | A-303 Gopala Apartment, Narahi, Ramteerath Marg, Lucknow-226001                                  |
|        18 | Chakshumathi                                                                             | TC 28/145, Post Office Lane, KRA-66, Kaithmukku, Trivandrum 695024                               |
|        19 | Cheema Trust                                                                             | House no: 64, Sector 9 A, Chandigarh-160009                                                      |
|        20 | AICB                                                                                     | Near Rajeev Gandhi Cancer Hospital,Sector 5, Rohini, Delhi-110085                                |
|        21 | Human Development Institute                                                              | Village- Dabala (MEW), P.O. Machadi Via Rajgarh, District- Alawar. (Rajasthan)                   |
|        22 | NAB-Karnataka                                                                            | NAB Rehabilitation Complex, C.A. Site No.-4, NAB Road, Jeevan Bima Nagar, Bangalore-560 075.     |
|        23 | TTI-Pune                                                                                 | 109 Dr Helen Keller Road, Ramtekdi, Hadapsar, Pune- 411013                                       |
|        24 | L.V. Prasad Eye Institute                                                                | Road No-2,Banjara Hills, Hyderabad-500034 (Andhra Pradesh )                                      |
|        25 | M.P. Welfare Society for the Blind                                                       | 33, B/D Kila Maidan, Indore-452006                                                               |

|   26 | JNU                                                                   | New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi-110067                                                                                            |
|------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   27 | Niwant Andh Mukt Vikasalaya                                           | Survey No 33/1 Plot 75, Vidyanagar, Pune-411032                                                                                |
|   28 | Vision Through Ears                                                   | Qtr No: II-3, APSSRDI Campus, APSSRDI, Kirikera, Hindupur, Anantapur Dist, Andhra Pradesh-515211                               |
|   29 | NAB- Kullu                                                            | National Association for the Blind, H.P State Branch, Kullu Mahila kalyan Bhawan, Sarwari Bazar, Kullu Himachal Pradesh 175101 |
|   30 | C.H. Mohamad Koya Library                                             | CH. Mohammed Koya Library, University of Calicut, PO Calicut University, Malappuram, Dist - Kerala-673635                      |
|   31 | IAB                                                                   | SK-33, Sindhoran Kalan Village, Near Chowki No:2, Delhi-110052                                                                 |
|   32 | Government Institute for the Blind                                    | Braille Bhawan,Near power house,Chandigarh Road, Jamalpur,Ludhiana,Punjab-141011                                               |
|   33 | Blind People's Association,                                           | Vastrapur,Ahmedabad,Gujarat                                                                                                    |
|   34 | N.A.B (India)                                                         | Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Road,Worli Seaface,Mumbai,Maharastra-400025                                                             |
|   35 | Talking Book Library, Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys Academy, Kolkata | Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys Academy, Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, P.O. Narendrapur, Kolkata- 700103, India                  |
|   36 | Society for the Visually Handicapped                                  | A.P.T.I.B 123,Dover Road,Kolkata-700019,West Bengal                                                                            |
|   37 | National Federation of the Blind                                      | Bahadurgarh,Harayana                                                                                                           |
|   38 | Rotary Hellen Keller Talking Book,Library for Handicapped             | Vizhyagam,Madurai-625010 Tamil Nadu                                                                                            |
|   39 | Talking Book Library,                                                 | Jyothi Sroat School, Bethany Society, Shillong Meghalaya                                                                       |

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