Sambalpur: The district administration is organising technical education training and a mass marriage programme for disabled persons to mark International Disabled Day this year on December 3.

The authorities will select around 1,000 physically challenged persons and provide them technical training so that they can be self-employed. A mass marriage programme has also been taken up to select partners among the physically challenged persons in the district.

All the nine block development officers in the district have been instructed to formulate a "Self Employment Action Plan" in their respective blocks for the purpose. The BDO will head a five-member action plan team as the nodal officer. The members will visit villages and remote areas to identify the physically-challenged persons and get an idea of their financial status. The BDOs have been instructed to provide a list of disabled persons to the district headquarters before November 30, 2017. The disable persons - both men and women - will assemble in the block offices on December 2 for enrolment and training.

"The action plan team talk to the disabled persons and try to understand their interests. Based on their inputs, they will be trained in fields such as agriculture, horticulture, goat and boiler farming. Apart from that, those interested would be recommended for training in different government industrial training institutes," said district social security officer Budhadeb Swain.

Under these self-employment schemes, those enrolled will be provided with physically-challenged certificates, allowances, household and daily-need articles on December 2, on the eve of International Disabled Day.

The idea of arranging a mass marriage will be the first of its kind in the district. The identified physically-challenged persons will be allowed to chose their life partner and the administration will help organise the marriage ceremony.

The BDOs have been directed to chose at least two eligible couples from their respective blocks for the mass marriage.