-The Times of India NEW DELHI: New hotels and motels should have at least two rooms "preferably on ground floor" for wheel-chair users and every theatre, movie or assembly hall should have provision for a minimum of six seating spaces for such persons. These are some of the guidelines that have been prescribed by the urban development ministry for architects and those who own or manage such public spaces to make...

-The Hindu Tactile books with maps and diagrams for Visually Challenged students will become a reality soon with the National Council of Educational Research and Training introducing them in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. So far, books in Braille had no maps and diagrams. The NCERT is seeking suggestions from the States before it can start the process. “The exercise calls for a special training for teachers, but we...

-The Hindu Kola Anna Reddy's determination to provide eyesight to the Visually Challenged has seen him donning the role of an ophthalmologist surgeon as well. KARIMNAGAR: He is a civil engineer by profession. But his grit and determination to provide eyesight to Visually Challenged persons saw him donning the role of an ophthalmologist surgeon also. Kola Anna Reddy, a senior member of the Lions Club, joined the movement in 2003 and become the...

-BBC It's a riot of colours - yellow marigolds and bright pink roses spread out in the sun. But the people spreading the joy this festive season cannot see it themselves - they are all Visually Challenged. They take in tonnes of flower waste produced by temples and hotels in Delhi and turn it into organic skin-friendly colours for Hindu festivals. The Society for Child Development, which runs this programme, says the process does...

-The Hindu   The urban future depends on making cities intelligent, and that applies equally to both new and old parts of the city Smart cities, the flagship project of the Bharatiya Janata Party's urban vision, have received a firm financial allocation in the Union budget. The government has provided Rs.7,060 crore to build 100 smart cities as satellite towns on the outskirts of large cities to accommodate the burgeoning urban population. Foreign...