JOIN USPersons with disabilities pour out woes at grievance meeting
The persons with disabilities, during a grievance redressal meeting, complained that gram panchayat members are clueless about 3% grant, quota and schemes introduced for the benefit of the specially abled.
The meeting was organised by the district administration, Zilla Panchayat and Department for Empowerment of Disabled and Senior Citizens at ZP auditorium here on Friday.
Manjunatha, a resident of Maralur in Nanjangud taluk, said, disabled persons are neglected in gram panchayats and the panchayat authorities not even invite them to gram sabhas. “Even if we go to the meeting venue, the authorities turn us down,” he alleged.
Village Rehabilitation Workers (VRW) and Multipurpose Rehabilitation Worker (MRW), who are appointed to identify and provide various government benefits to differently abled persons, said that most of the Gram Panchayat members are unaware of the schemes and projects of the government meant for disabled people.
Deputy Commissioner D Randeep, who chaired the meeting, said that gram sabhas play an important role in providing benefits to the disabled people. He asked the authorities concerned to allow disabled people to attend the meetings. He directed authorities to get approvals for the action plan under 3% grant at panchayat levels before sending it to the district-level officers for approval.
Manjunatha urged the deputy commissioner to allot sites and houses for the disabled persons under Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Corporation. Pointing out that the authorities have short-listed the names of the beneficiaries a year back, he said, they have failed to allot the sites. DC Randeep said that the government has alloted the sites as per availability of land and the remaining beneficiaries will be alloted sites after identifying the lands.
A few MRWs complained that doctors were not attending special health checkup camps organised for disabled people. “Recently a camp was organised at Nanjangud government hospital but no doctor made it to the camp. Camps are organised on the third Tuesday of every month,” they said. District Health Officer (DHO) Dr B Basavaraju said that he was not aware of it and assured that such incidents will not repeat.
A few participants urged the district administration to issue Antyodaya ration cards to them, and KSRTC bus passes for students with disabilities.Deputy Director for Women and Child Welfare K Radha and ZP Chief Planning Officer K B Prabhu Swamy were present at the meeting.