Differently abled stage demonstration condemning Centre

Seeking increased monthly assistance and better opportunities in education and employment, members of the Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC) staged a demonstration here on Monday.

The protestors said the UN Special Declaration and the Centre’s Physically Challenged Rights Act 2016 guaranteed dignified living conditions for the differently abled by ensuring a level-playing field for them in education, employment, social security, healthcare, rehabilitation etc. The UN Declaration and the Act had mandated the Union Government to create a fund exclusively for implementing the special schemes for uplifting the differently abled.

However, even nine years after the promulgation of the Act, the Narendra Modi-led Union Government had not allocated any fund for implementing special schemes for the physically challenged. Consequently, all the promises made in the UN Declaration and the Act continued to remain a dream for the differently abled.

Even as the paltry monthly assistance meant for the differently-abled was being given by the State Government, the Centre’s contribution of ₹300, which was fixed 16 years ago by the then Congress Government, was not hiked under the BJP government that assumed office in 2014. After Mr. Narendra Modi came to power, the Centre allocated only 0.0025% of its Budget for the welfare of the differently abled. The physically challenged were running from pillar to post to get the national identity card and, hence, could not avail most of the benefits including 35 kg free rice or wheat a month.

After the BJP government drastically cut the allocation of funds for implementing the welfare schemes for the differently abled, they were not considered for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee programme. Hence, the Union Government, especially Mr. Narendra Modi, should implement thee promises made in the Act and in the UN Declaration as well.

The Tamil Nadu Government, on its part, should increase the monthly assistance to ₹6,000, ₹10,000 and ₹15,000 based on the nature of disability as being given by the Andhra Pradesh government, the protestors said.