Thaindian News

Jaipur, March 12 (IANS) Amputees in Sri Lanka, who lost their limbs during the prolonged civil war in the country, will now be able to lead a near normal life with the help of the Jaipur foot - artificial legs made in Rajasthan that are known for being cosmetically and functionally close to the human limb.
A team of 19 skilled technicians of the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), the makers of the famous Jaipur foot, is holding a camp in Sri Lankan capital Colombo to provide about 1,000 amputees with artificial limbs.

The team, led by A.B. Sharma, would provide the artificial limbs, considered to be the most inexpensive and cost effective in the world, at the camp at Vavuniya, starting Friday. It will end April 10.

The team would provide the Jaipur foot and the Jaipur knee free of cost to the victims who lost their limbs during the civil war in the northern part of Sri Lanka.

D.R Mehta, the founder and chief patron of the BMVSS, said that so far the organisation has fitted more than 370,000 artificial limbs around the world, including in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and Sierra Leone.

“The mobility earned through the artificial limb helps amputees to change their lives and earn their livelihood,” he said.

He said the Jaipur foot fitment has been provided to landmine victims and others in foreign countries. The BMVSS has so far conducted 36 such camps in various parts of the world, particularly those countries that witnessed wars in which thousand of people became disabled.

The beauty of the Jaipur foot is its lightness and mobility. Those who wear it can run, climb trees, pedal bicycles and drive a car - all without the aid of a stick or any other support.