Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim has directed the officials of the Health and Family Welfare Department to commence the process of printing and issuing identity cards to as many as 2,484 endosulfan victims identified in Dakshina Kannada district, from January 20. "
He was chairing a district-level meeting of the officials of various departments and representatives from medical colleges and hospitals, to discuss about providing rehabilitation to endosulfan victims, at the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Thursday. As the health department has decided to distribute identity cards instead of smart cards, according to the earlier plan, the process of card distribution will start soon. The identity card will help the victim to avail medical benefits and ration benefits from the Food and Civil Supplies Department.
When asked about supplying monthly free ration of 10 kg per person (Endosulfan victim), Food and Civil Supplies Department Deputy Director Sharanabasappa said that though a government order has been issued on the same, permission has to be obtained from the department commissioner.
Nodal Officer for Endosulfan Rehabilitation, Dr Arun Kumar said that a proposal has been sent to the government to start six new day care centres at Nelyadi, Thingalady, Bellare, Vittal, Moodbidri and Kaniyoor (Belthangady taluk) on the lines of the day care centres in Kokkada and Koila. Every day care centre will have a hall, rest room, room for physiotherapy and a kitchen. Land and building is available in five places except in Thingalady. Five acre land had been identified for constructing a permanent rehabilitation centre in Koila. A proposal has been placed before the government to sanction two mobile health units one in Belthangady and another in Thingalady for providing treatment to endosulfan victims, the officer said.
The deputy commissioner also shared the district administration’s plan to increase the monthly pension offered to Endosulfan victims, from the proposed amount of Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 for those with abopve 75 per cent disability and from the proposed Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 to those with above 45 per cent disability. This has come in the wake of the High Court lashing the government for offering meagre compensation to Endo victims.
As no comprehensive decisions were taken in the meeting, the deputy commissioner decided to convene yet another meeting in next 10 days to discuss the issue.
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