TARATDAC members seek better monthly assistance

Members of the Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC) on Thursday staged a demonstration in front of the Dindigul Head Post Office. They urged the Centre and the State governments to fulfil their charter of demands.

TARATDAC members affiliated to National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) demanded the pension under the Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme be raised. They said the pension amount was ₹300 and demanded the amount be raised to ₹5,000 a month.

They said that the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, defined benchmark disability as a person with not less than 40% of a specified disability. However, under the scheme, the person to get the benefits under the scheme should have 80% disability.

Also, a person should be above 18 years to get the benefits under the scheme. The criteria should be relaxed and all beneficiaries who apply for the benefits under the scheme should be considered. As of now, it only covers 3.84 % of the total differently abled population, they said, adding that more such persons should receive the benefits under the scheme.

The members also sought employment under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme. It must be ensured that the differently abled are also included, they said.

The Rajasthan government had passed the Rajasthan Minimum Guaranteed Income Act guaranteeing 125 days of employment. A similar Act should be passed in Tamil Nadu for the welfare of the people, the members said. The members also demanded that 35 kg of foodgrains under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) scheme should be ensured and the scheme was implemented properly.

The members urged the Centre and the State government to look into the demands and take necessary steps to fulfil the charter of demands. Following the demonstration, they submitted a petition at the Dindigul MP office.