For the first time, all law books required by visually impaired administrative officials in Odisha are being printed in Braille format.

The law books are being transcribed into Braille and then printed at the Red Cross Computerised Braille Press in Berhampur, the only Braille press in the State. Till now 20 volumes of law books have been printed in Braille, including books on basic laws as well as service rules of government servants.

According to Braille press manager Prakash Narayan Rath, 17 more law books would be printed in Braille in the coming months.

“Last year two visually impaired youths qualified for the Odisha Administrative Service. There was a need for law books in Braille for their training and future operation. So in December last year, the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department ordered printing of all law books of concern to administrators in Braille form,” said Mr. Rath.

The law books that have been already been transcribed into Braille include the ones related to law and order like the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, Dowry Prevention Act and Orissa Police Act. To help visually impaired administrators in revenue matters, Braille books on Manual of Tahsil Accounts, Orissa Survey and Settlement Manual, Orissa Government Land Settlement Act, Orissa Mutation Manual, Orissa Moneylenders Manual and Orissa Law of Mines and Minerals have been printed.

Braille law books also include Prevention of Corruption Act, Essential Commodities Act, Orissa Irrigation Act, Orissa Schedule Areas Transfer of Immovable Property Act and Orissa Panchayat Samity Manual. The compilation of Government of Odisha Service Rules in four volumes and Orissa Civil Service Rules-1962 in two volumes have also been printed in Braille.

According to Mr. Rath, transcribing law books into Braille will have long-lasting benefits. “In the computerised Braille press, we have saved the e-version of all these books and whenever the need arrives we can easily reprint them,” he said.

Former Ganjam Bar Association secretary Manoj Patnaik welcomed the decision, saying it will encourage more and more visually impaired persons to take up government administrative jobs.

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