Maharashtra...Plans Ahead
Vandana Garware
A new initiative has been launched by the National
Resource Centre for Inclusion, Mumbai, the Roeher
Institute and Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA) to promote inclusion in India in a
cost neutral way and to focus on the ways and means
to obtain policy changes at the administrative level.
As a result of this, Maharashtra has for the first
time, formulated a State Action Plan for the welfare
of persons with disabilities to be implemented during
2002- 2006.
The main features of the Action Plan are:
It adopts a multi-sectoral collaborative approach to
various measures concerning prevention, early detection
and intervention, integrated education, special education,
informal education and functional literacy, scholarships,
concessions, integrated vocational training and modification
of teachers training programs, employment, barrier free
environment and dissemination of information.
A Commissionerate for persons with disabilities has
been set up in Pune and the Commissioner has been entrusted
with the responsibility of co-ordinating the schemes
and programs of the State Government, apart from functioning
as grievances redressal officer. The funds disbursed
by the State Government shall be monitored by the Commissioner.
Concerned departments will allocate funds and will ensure
that they are necessarily spent. An amount of about Rs.800
crores is expected to be spent in five years for implementation
of the Action Plan.
The address of the Commissionerate is: 3, Church Road,
Pune 411 001.
For implementation of the Action Plan the State Co-ordination
Committee and State Executive Committee have been constituted,
the details of which are mentioned in the section titled
'Effective Implementing Agency'.
Lastly, mention must be made of the Maharashtra State
Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation, a State
Government undertaking under Companies' Act 1956, being
registered as part of the action plan. It has been specified
clearly that this organisation will not only arrange
for loans but will also implement schemes which ensure
the economic development of persons with disabilities.
Moreover, it is also being positioned as a guarantor
for the development projects launched by the National
Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation.
The
plan which is titled 'Maharashtra State Action Plan
for The Welfare of Persons with Disabilities –2001’,
is available with the Department of Social Justice, Cultural
Affairs, Sports and Special Assistance, Mantralaya in
Marathi as well as in English.
It is now upto activists, parents, disabled people themselves,
professionals and service providers to take cognizance
of these measures and use them to meet their needs. The
first step logically, would be to get a copy of the plan,
study it in detail, pick up those points which are relevant
to their concerns and demand intervention from the concerned
officials or agency.
This process needs to be accelerated so that no more
precious time is lost in ensuring a forward movement
for persons with disabilities in today's fast track,
revolutionary and progressive times. At a broader level,
other State Governments too need to get into the act.
literally, taking the lead from Maharashtra and paving
the way for a better world for their citizens in the
times to come.
Source:
Success & Ability, Volume
7 No. 1
Issue: Dated Jan-Mar 2002
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