People with disabilities demand better facilities

World Disability Day: Struggle continues

Members of various organisations for the disabled staged a protest against the government’s alleged discrimination in disbursing monthly allowances to them.

“At present, people with 75 per cent disability are given Rs 1,000 and those with 40 pc disability are given Rs 400. We want all disabled persons to get Rs 1,000,” said Karnataka Helen Keller Handicapped Association secretary Prabu Gowda.

Yeddyurappa promised to look into the problems of the disabled.

He said the government would also introduce shortly a fixed deposit scheme –– Rs 25,000 for a period of five years –– for disabled persons who get married.

“Three posts of assistant commissioner in Grade A and B will be reserved for the disabled under the KPSC,” he said.

He also promised to set up a task force for the welfare of the disabled. The organisations also sought free passes to travel in Volvo buses anywhere in the State.

The present facility allows them to travel only up to 100 km, which was not of much help to the community, they said.

Minister for Women and Child Development C C Patil said it was mandatory for all government departments to allot three per cent of their budget towards the welfare of the disabled.

Individual contributors, S P Nagesh, S H Nagarajappa, Vijayarao Scinde, Prema Bhat, Prashant Kumar, A Shaheena, H C Shashiprasad and Dr G Shankar who have served the disabled were felicitated on the occasion.

Special teachers Prakash A Hosmane, Mahalingiah Matadh, K C Keerthivathi, B L Chandrashekar and Ratna Raichurkar and institutions like Mitrajyothi, Karnataka Federation of the Blind, Chetana Special School, Bapuji Grameena Vikasa Samiti and Jai Karnataka Taluka disabled orgnisations were also felicitated.

Braille calendar for the year 2011 was released, white canes, tri-cycles and wheelchairs, and free bus passes were also distributed to the disabled.