Indian Army, NGO collaborate to provide artificial limbs to disabled people in Poonch

Indian Army, in collaboration with Delhi-based NGO Kiwanis Club of New Delhi (KCND), on Tuesday organised an artificial limbs measurement camp here in Poonch for people who lost their hands or legs in mine blasts and cross-border firing.

The disabled persons expressed gratitude towards the Indian Army and the NGO for the camp. "I thank the Indian Army and the NGO. Today they are taking our measurements. It will take two months to provide us with artificial limbs. Earlier, we used to go to New Delhi or Srinagar which would cost us a lot of money," said one of the beneficiaries, Mohammad Afsal.

"I thank the army and the NGO for this service. I am a resident of Poonch. Earlier, it would cost us a lot of money. We used to go to Jaipur, Mumbai, or Delhi. However, they are doing this for us free of cost," said Mohammad Tarik, another beneficiary. Naveen Chopra, one of the officials of the NGO, said that they get funds to undertake these works from big companies. "We are here from the Kiwanis Club of New Delhi. We do this work free of cost. Big companies fund us for this. We don't have a funding problem," Chopra said.

He also said that they are working on developing sophisticated walking sticks for the blind and are also trying to expand their capacity to help other people with more body parts like ears, hands, etc by working in collaboration with many IITs and an American company for the technology.