Since ages the city of the Taj Mahal has been a friendly home to the disabled, mental and physical both. The Mughal emperors lavished patronage on disabled saints and Faqirs. In later years charitable trusts built homes and shelters for the uncared poor.

 While governmental efforts have been largely confined to opening schools for the disabled and fixing quotas of jobs in the public sector, it is the NGO sector and philanthropists of the city who have filled the void with pioneering efforts and bold initiatives.

 With an alarmingly high incidence of leprosy till the 1970s, the Japanese funded JALMA centre near the Taj Mahal did yeomen's service to help eradicate the disease.

 Now attached to the ICMR, the Jalma centre under the able leadership of Dr. Vishwa Mohan Katoch, has scaled new heights. Its success can be measured by the rapid decline in the incidence of leprosy in the whole region. "You will hardly see lepers moving around the streets or close to monuments in Agra, as most have been cured and rehabilitated, and high level research in TB, AIDS and leprosy is continuing," says an official of the centre.

Agra has numerous voluntary agencies doing commendable work. The Hardayal Centre at Langre ki Chowki, with Vishnu Kapoor breaking a fresh ground by providing clippers, supporting operations and counseling has been a trend setter. Dr. KP Srivastav and his son Dr. Atul Srivastav have given the movement a firmer ground and scope for help. Mukesh Jain with his health helpline service, Dr. Ashok Goyal of the Kshetra Bajaja Samiti providing valuable help and succor to the needy, the latest being the provision of more than a dozen dialysis machines for the poor at the Patni health centre in Khandari, Ashok Jain CA, providing financial support to those needing heart-care or any kind of assistance for major surgeries, Sri Nathji Nishulk Jal Sewa's Bankey Lal Maheshwari supporting a network of night shelters for the handicapped, DD Singhal of the Sri Ganesh Sewa Samiti and of course the service clubs like Rotary and the Lions provide the city of the Taj Mahal with a support mechanism for the poor and the disabled that can be the envy of many cities across India. Dr. Sanjay Chaturvedi's laudable efforts to train the students through his SHARE foundation to pick up good civic habits and learn about the right traffic norms have helped promote awareness about physical disabilities.

Dr. Rita Agarwal's TEARS, the school for the disabled she founded almost two decades ago, has been a valuable help for parents of disabled children. The Blind School at the Soor Sarovar has been a great help over years for the disabled students wanting to acquire skills and education. The government school in Vijay Nagar Colony for the deaf and the dumb has proved its worth by providing meaningful education to the handicapped children from poor families.

Social activist Mukesh Jain says, "there was a time when people with physical disabilities were looked down upon and often sidelined. But now the society is becoming more open and tolerant. With expert help from specialists many disabilities are better managed today. The area of concern however remains the high number of road accidents causing physical disabilities. Its here that institutions like Dr. Sanjay Chaturvedi's can play a very useful role."

Is the government doing enough for the physically disabled and mentally challenged?

No, not really, says Bankey Lal Maheshwari who is busy setting up his winter night shelters for the needy.