Visually impaired people protest over alleged NGO scam

Members of Visually Impaired Rehabilitation Welfare Association staged a protest on the Collectorate premises here on Monday, demanding the immediate transfer of the State Commissioner and the Secretary for the Welfare of Differently Abled Persons, whom they accused of shielding Non-Governmental Organisations embroiled in financial malpractice.

Led by association president Kumar, the protesters gathered in front of the Collectorate, staging a sit-in demonstration and raising slogans. Their core grievance stemmed from an alleged ₹67-lakh salary embezzlement involving field workers under the Tamil Nadu Rights Project in Dindigul district.

According to the protesters, Differently Abled Welfare Officer Thangavel had flagged the corruption and submitted concrete evidence against the guilty NGOs.

However, rather than penalising the perpetrators, the Government Secretary and the Commissioner transferred Mr. Thangavel to a different office.

The demonstrators raised several key demands, including the immediate disciplinary transfer of the Secretary and the Commissioner for the Welfare of Differently Abled Persons, the cancellation of Mr. Thangavel’s transfer, and the termination of contracts awarded to a blacklisted NGO operating across seven districts and its sister entity operating in Madurai and two other districts.

Revenue Department officials, along with the Madurai District Differently Abled Welfare Officer, held talks with the protesters. However, the protesters declared that they would not call off the protest until a Government Secretary held direct negotiations with them.

The protesters staged a day-long sit-in, remaining within the Collectorate premises well into the evening.