He was speaking at a press conference at the Travellers’ Bungalow in the City on Thursday.

Action will also be taken against medical institutes that provide the fake medical certificates, Rajanna added.

Benefits

“Physically challenged persons have reservation up to three per cent of the facilities at all departments. We should ensure that such benefits reach the people,” he said and added that such persons have special provisions at the Social Welfare Department, Education Department and Rural Development Department, which should be granted to them
necessarily.

“Every district has been granted Rs three to five crore for welfare of physically challenged persons. There is no lack of funds for their rehabilitation,” he explained.

Meetings of the district-level in-charge committee should be organised every three months and the taluk-level committees should meet every month compulsorily. The decisions of the committee should be adopted necessarily, he said.

“Meetings of the commissioners of the Department of Disabled Welfare from every state are organised at New Delhi. Under the Sarva Shikshan Abhiyaan, it has been decided to include every District Disabled Welfare Officer in these meetings,” informed Rajanna.

Representatives’ funds

“It has also been decided that a minimum of Rs 10 lakh from the Lok Sabha members’ and legislators’ funds will be spent for the welfare of the physically challenged. The Government has ordered that the process of issue of medical certificates to the physically challenged be simplified,” he said and added that Chikkaballapur district has 25,274 physically challenged people and 15,235 of them are receiving monthly meals.

It is the responsibility of the local organisations to recognise the symptoms of any disability early and take necessary measures to prevent the disability. Further, it is also the responsibility of the related organisations in every district to help improve productivity levels in a physically challenged person. “Integration education of physically challenged children should begin at anganwadi level itself,” Rajanna added.
He reminded that physically challenged students belonging to economically backward families have up to three per cent subsidy provided at hostels.

Mentally challenged

“As per the Disabled Welfare guidelines, even the mentally challenged people are considered disabled. Therefore, the District Health and Family Welfare Officers have been instructed to ensure that the people get treatment at the Primary Health Centres,” he said.

Women and Child Welfare Department deputy director Gopalakrishna and Disabled Welfare Officer Farishta were present at the press conference.