Union Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot today launched a mobile app which would provide differently-abled people with information on a wide range of issues.

Called 'Divyang Sarathi', the minister said the application would give details on subjects such as schemes, scholarships and institutional support systems at the click of a button.

"This mobile application aims at providing all relevant information pertaining to the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) including its various acts, rules, regulations, schemes, employment opportunities and the disability market in an accessible format," an official statement said.

The app includes audio notes (text-to-voice conversion software) which convert written information into audio files as well font sizes that can be altered to suit a user's requirements.

The information is available in both Hindi and English, it said.

Once downloaded, it can be accessed even if there is no access to the internet, the statement said.

According to the 2011 Census, there are over 2.68 crore disabled people in India, constituting more than 2.2 per cent of the population.

The mobile application is compliant with the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

The Act mandates that all information be made available in an accessible form. The application is also an integral part of the Accessible India Campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 3, 2015.

Source: Press Trust of India (PTI)