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The President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam inaugurated the Speech Applet “Virtual Vision” for the visually challenged at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. Students from the National Blind Association School in Delhi attended the inauguration. Speaking to the students Dr. Kalam said he was inspired to think about developing such an applet when he met two visually challenged persons Shri Deependra Manocha who was unable to read speeches on the Rashtrapati Bhavan web site and Shri Asif Iqbal who was using third party software which is costly and beyond the reach of an ordinary person. The software has a voice enabled interface, can be configured on any web server and is accessible through the web. The applet, “Virtual Vision” can be used to access the President’s website at www.presidentofindia.nic.in which has stories, Dr. Kalam lectures which have been broadcast over All India Radio, science topics, songs, poetry and music. Teachers and students at the function were given a booklet which they could use to add the applet to any site which they may have created. Dr. Kalam urged the visually challenged students to use this software to come out of their dependence on Braille.
Earlier at Rashtrapti Bhavan today, the President met 150 postmen on the occasion of Republic Day. Dr. Kalam said that postmen connect our cities with rural areas and give connectivity to families. Postmen are good human beings, the President said and hoped that this tradition would continue. Postmen should be righteous people. Dr. Kalam shared his vision of the postal system in 2020, which should ideally have one post office each in the 2 lakh panchayats in the country. Looking at the technological changes the post office should become a knowledge centre to provide villagers information about grain prices, the weather etc. Therefore today’s post office should be transformed into tomorrow’s knowledge centre and become a people centric place. Dr. Kalam asked the postmen to think that they are doing a very important task, only then would they be able to achieve.
The President also attended the traditional ‘At Home’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan today on the occasion of Republic Day which was attended by the Chief Guest at this year’s Republic Day Parade, the King of Bhutan and also by a large number of guests.
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