KARACHI: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Dr Reza Baqir said on Friday that persons with disabilities could economically support themselves and contribute to the society when provided with adequate education, rehabilitation and financial and moral support.

He said this in an online meeting with President Dr Arif Alvi which was also attended by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Dr Sania Nishtar, senior SBP officials and presidents/CEOs of commercial banks.

Dr Baqir said that a sizeable number of differently abled persons did have the capacity to work and contribute to the mainstream economic activities and thus support their families. He urged the banks to explore avenues to make inclusion of this untapped segment of the economy a reality.

The meeting took stock of the progress on decisions made for improving the accessibility infrastructure for special persons, said the SBP.

President Dr Alvi said that the unavailability of concrete information on the number of people with disabilities was a major hindrance in designing comprehensive plans to improve their quality of life.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2020