Disability friendly initiatives from the ministry

While presenting the National Awards, for the welfare of people with disability for the year 2000, the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ms. Maneka Gandhi, said that the Government had formulated a uniform identity card for disabled persons after wide-ranging consultations. The card could be issued across the States to people with disabilities to enable them to avail of various facilities extended to them. The States have been asked to ensure speedy implementation for the identity card scheme without causing any unnecessary harassment or inconvenience to disabled people.

Another new programme – the National Programme for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities – has been taken up by the Ministry and is being implemented as a State Sector Scheme. Under the programme, resources are being provided for comprehensive rehabilitation services in 74 districts ad corresponding Blocks and Gram Panchayats throughout the country this year, she said, adding that this programme was a synthesis of community-based and institutional-based rehabilitation services.

Ms. Gandhi also said that through another scheme, comprehensive rehabilitation services would be provided at the primary level through 107 district centres. Ten of these centres have already started functioning and many more were in the process of being put in place. All the centres are expected to come up by the end of 2001. Once fully operational, these centres, spread throughout the country, would strengthen the present infrastructure. They would serve as one-window facilitation centres for disabled people living in that district and the adjoining areas.

The Hindu, 4th Dec, 2000

Source: Success & Ability, Vol. 6 No. 1
Issue: Jan-Mar 2001