New Delhi, Dec 3 : Vice President Hamid Ansari understand the need for crashing a barrier free environment for persons with disabilities.

After presenting the ‘National Awards for the Empowerment of Persons with the Disabilities’ at a function organised by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment here today, Ansari said that disability needs to be part of all programmes, policies and legislation with the objective to achieve equality in all political, economic and social spheres.

“It cannot remain confined to the government alone. It must bring in all stakeholders including civil society, international organizations and even the private sector and media within a cooperative framework for empowering persons with disabilities,” he added.

It is estimated that there are approximately 650 million persons with disability worldwide, constituting roughly 10 per cent of the global population. Around 80 per cent of these persons live in developing countries.

The World Bank estimates that 20 per cent of the world’s poorest people, who live on less than one dollar a day, are persons with disabilities. (ANI)