Officials warned over poor disabled welfare measures

Summons have been issued to all the assistant commissioners in the State for failing to take action over the failure in the implementation of welfare programmes for the disabled.

They have been asked to be present at a meeting in Bangalore on Thursday (October 18).
They will be given a deadline to resolve all the problems at the meeting, failing which cases will be filed against thems, State Commissioner for the Disabled K V Rajanna has said.

He was speaking to reporters after a review meeting of the department at the Zilla Panchayat auditorium here on Wednesday.

He attributed the failure of the disabled welfare measures to corruption and lack of willingness among officials of the social welfare and women and child welfare departments.

There are an estimated 18 lakh to 20 lakh disabled persons in the State and they have a right over the programmes being implemented by the government, he said.

Previously, monthly allowance was provided to 6.5 lakh disabled persons. However, the monthly allowance to 1.3 lakh persons was cancelled after physical examination. Now, the pension has been restored to 18,000 of them, he said.

‘Exclusive ministry’

Rajanna demanded that the department of disabled welfare be converted into a separate ministry with an exclusive principal secretary heading it, as the present principal secretary was overburdened.

The commissioner said that in spite of having a State-level co-ordination committee, general committee, executive committee and nodal committees, the State was lagging behind in the welfare of the disabled as these committees had not met even once.

Earlier, there were no guidelines for fund utilisation, but now, all legislators and parliamentarians have been asked to reserve Rs 10 lakh out of their grants for the welfare of the disabled, he said, adding that letters had been sent to them in this regard.