Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Saturday that the entire society will become capable if specially-abled people get empowered and become self-reliant.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the state-level three-day arts and skills exhibition organised by the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities at Yogiraj Baba Gambhirnath Auditorium, he said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given up the word handicapped and given the word 'Divyangjan' because they have a special power from God."

"The disabled should not be neglected but they should be given respect and self-reliance," he said.

The chief minister said, "Divyangjans have unlimited inherent talent. There is a need to hone that talent and give them a platform." Persons with disabilities deserve encouragement from the government and the society.

He said, "With this spirit, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the double engine government is supporting the specially-abled and taking them on the path of respect and self-reliance."

Boosting the confidence of the specially-abled, the chief minister said if a person has any disability, God compensates for it. Maharishi Ashtavakra, who guided the society through the Upanishads; the great poet Surdas, who depicted the Leelas of Lord Krishna in the medieval period; and in the present times, Jagadguru Rambhadracharya and renowned scientist Stephen Hawking are examples of this.

Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh is the land of God's incarnation. Probably this is the first state in the country where two rehabilitation universities - Dr Shakuntala Mishra Rehabilitation University, Lucknow; and Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Divyang University, Chitrakoot - are running at the government level, he added.

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