OLATPUR, PO: BAIROI, DIST: CUTTACK, ODISHA, PIN-754010
(Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan)
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India
Email: nirtar@ori.nic.in, svnirtar@gmail.com
Introduction:
Swami Vivekanand National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research (SVNIRTAR) has been serving the Persons with Disabilities. It is located at Olatpur in Cuttack District (29 kms. away from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack) of Odisha. It was established in 1975 as National Institute for Prosthetic and Orthotic Training (NIPOT) an adjunct unit of Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), Kanpur. NIPOT was brought under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (the erstwhile Ministry of Welfare), Govt. of India on 22nd February 1984 to give a thrust to Community Based Rehabilitation and Human Resource Development. Since then it is an Autonomous Body under the administrative control of this Ministry. Its name was changed from NIPOT to NIRTAR in 1984 and subsequently to SVNIRTAR in the year 2004. It is one of the premier Institutes in the Country for providing comprehensive rehabilitation services to the Persons with Locomotor Disabilities.
Aims and Objectives:
The main aims and objectives of the Institute are:
- Manpower Development- Long term, short term courses, training for rehabilitation personnel such as Doctors, Engineers, Prosthetists, Orthotists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Multipurpose Rehabilitation Therapists and other personnel for the rehabilitation of the physically handicapped.
- Promotion, distribution and subsidize the manufacture of prototype designed aids and appliances.
- Development of models of service delivery programmes in the field of locomotor disability.
- Vocational training, placement and rehabilitation of the physically handicapped.
- Document and disseminate information on disability and rehabilitation in India and abroad.
- Research – To conduct and coordinate research activities on Bio-medical Engineering leading to the effective evaluation of the mobility aids for the orthopaedically disabled persons or suitable surgical or medical procedures and for development of new aids and appliances.
Extension and Outreach Services.
Undertake any other action in the area of rehabilitation in India and abroad.
Departments and Services:
Institute provides rehabilitation services to patients with various types of Locomotor/ Orthopaedic disabilities through Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Psychology, Social Work, Speech & Hearing
To achieve these objectives the Institute has eleven major Departments/Sections viz:
- Administration
- Accounts and Finance
- Academics (HRD)
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
- Prosthetics & Orthotics
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Library & Information Centre
- Psychology
- Social Work
- Speech &Hearing.
- Specialized Services:
- Hydrotherapy Unit
- Gait Lab
- Modular OT
- Urodynamics
- 7 Axis CAD-CAM Laboratory
- USG Guided Nerve Block
- Early Intervention Clinic
Management:
Two Councils, General Council (GC) and Executive Council (EC) comprising the representatives from Union and State Governments, renowned Social workers, Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation professionals, etc. govern the activities of the Institute. The Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJ&E), Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) is the President of General Council and the Joint Secretary (DEPwD) to the Government of India, MoSJ&E, and Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) is the Chairperson of Executive Council. The Director is the Member-Secretary of both the Councils and is Head of the Institute.
Academic Activities at the Institute:
The Institute is conducting several long term courses like 4½ years Bachelor of Physiotherapy, Bachelor of Occupational Therapy, Bachelor of Prosthetic and Orthotic courses and 2 years Master degree courses in Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy & Prosthetic and Orthotic and 03 years DNB PMR course.
Faculty and staff of various departments actively participated in National/ Regional Conferences where their scientific paper and research work were presented and the work was shared with other professionals
The Institute’s central/ Medical/ Technical Library has a collection of 8,341latest books 8,451 journals and several reports, reprints etc. The Library is kept open for twelve hours (8.30am to 9.00pm) excluding 30 minutes Lunch break, and caters to the information needs of staff and students of the Institute, Govt. functionaries, rehabilitation professionals of other centers, NGOs, persons with disabilities and their relatives. Online resources package subscribed for the Institute Library, (which include journal, books, thesis, and instruments
Research and Development:
Research and Development is one of the main objectives of SVNIRTAR. Various Departments of the Institute have conducted Research and Developmental works in their field for orthopaedically disabled persons or suitable surgical or medical therapeutic procedures or development of new aids and appliances. Institute has Ethical committee as per the approval of Executive Council Meeting.
Extension and Outreach Services:
Several Assessment Camps and Surgical Camps at various places in collaboration with local Administration/ NGOs were conducted.
a). VNIRTAR Sub-Centres:
The Persons with Disabilities from rural, tribal and other interior areas come across lot of difficulties in obtaining rehabilitation services. In order to overcome these difficulties, the Institute has three Sub-Centers at Bhubaneswar, Cuttack Dhenkanal and Nuapada in Odisha to provide Rehabilitation Services in the rural/tribal areas and conducts rehabilitation camps at various states to provide rehabilitation aids and appliances at the door step of the Persons with Disabilities.
b).Composite Regional Centre for Skill Development, Rehabilitation & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities:
Composite Regional Centre for Skill Development, Rehabilitation & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities is an initiative of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India. The Institute has 04 Composite Regional Centre for Skill Development, Rehabilitation & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities at Guwahati, Assam, Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, Bolangir. Odisha and Ranchi, Jharkhand to provide Rehabilitation services for Persons with Disabilities.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Activities:
Corporate Social Responsibility, often abbreviated “CSR,” is a corporation’s initiative to assess and take responsibility for the company’s effects on environmental and social wellbeing. The Institute availed following CSR funds from RECL, NALCO and MCL:
Regional Electrification Corporation Limited (RECL:
Rs.100.00 Lakh (Modular OT)
Rs.1,589.00 Lakh (Annex. Building)
Rs. 27.93 Lakh (PT Gait Lab.)
Rs. 06.74 Lakh (OT Equipments)
Total: Rs.1,723.67 Lakh
National Aluminium Company (NALCO)-Rs. 272.65 Lakh (7 Axis Robotic CAD/CAM Machine):
Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. (MCL) – Rs.16.33 Lakh (Ambulance)
