Scheme for disabled falters for ‘lack of publicity’

The GR clearly states that departments have to revert to the disability commissionerate with the requirements but very few departments have bothered.

“We have got no response from the Urban Development department, Public Works Department, Medical Education and Drugs department, School Education and Sports department, and Rural department. From other departments, although we have received a list, the awareness is little. So even as funds have been allocated for disability aids, there is no response from the employees themselves,’’ added the official.

The disability commissionerate official has stated that while last year, the subsidy was Rs 50,000, this year the government has increased it to Rs 70,000. The government has offered aids for visually-impaired, physically-impaired and those with hearing disability, and special concession has also been offered to those demanding scooters with adaptors. Statistics indicate that among the 4,532 employees, 3,027 were supplied with disability kits and 1,505 provided with scooters with adaptors.

Presently, they have a request from 8,244 people —4,253 devices and 3,991 scooters with adaptors. Another 3,072 have shown interest. “It is the lack of response from departments, which has led to a dismal scheme,” he said.

A differently-abled employee, working in the agriculture department of the state government, who has to nearly crawl to work said, it has been an year since he has put in a request for a wheel chair but there has been no reply. “The treatment meted out to the differently abled is very poor. There is no point announcing a scheme without reaching out to the needy. I have come to the department after a transfer from Solapur and have to struggle with travel expenses too as I do not have a vehicle. All the assistance merely looks good on paper,” he said. Corroborating his thought, another employee from the cooperative department, said: “The schemes do not reach the beneficiary and later, the government rolls back the schemes. The 3 per cent recruitment in all departments is far from reality, pointing at poor implementation of the Disability Act.’’

Incidentally, even the Bombay High Court pulled up the department in 2013 over poor implementation of such schemes.
Then it was stated that of the 6,576 employees, only 29 employees had got assistive devices to a petition filed by several people. The hearing led the then chief secretary to issue a circular to all the principal secretaries and secretaries of the various departments, directing that the devices be provided to all the employees who have applied for it or face disciplinary action. The state government, following the court orders, had held workshops and seminars for the differently abled employees to motivate them to opt for the assistive devices.
“There has not been a single workshop to create any awareness regarding such assistive devices this time. If the government announces some scheme, they need to reach out, make people aware and execute it well,’’ said a differently abled employee from the revenue department.