The Haryana Government is drafting a scheme to ensure employment to persons with disabilities in the State.
The Chief Minister Manohar lal announced this while addressing ‘Viklangjan Upkaran Vitran Samaroh’ organized under the aegis of Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the State Government at Karnal on Thursday.
On this occasion, he distributed about 5,276 aids and appliances costing about Rs2.90 crore to about 3,200 beneficiaries.
He said that after conducting survey in other lok Sabha areas to assess the number of persons with disabilities, such functions would also be organised there and aids and appliances would be distributed to them.
Similarly, after conducting survey of 80 to 100 per cent persons with disabilities, vehicles would be provided to them according to their requirement, said the Chief Minister adding that the State Government has earmarked a budget of Rs240 crore to provide various facilities to them.
Manohar lal said that with a view to providing employment to persons with disabilities, special courses would be started under Haryana Skill Development Mission.
He said that a school for persons with disabilities is functional in the state which has been approved to be upgraded to class X and this school would further be upgraded to Class XII next year.
Apart from this, the State Government has provided five acres of land to the Central Government for setting up a college for persons with disabilities in the State. A sum of Rs5 crore would be spent in the first phase of the college, he added.
The Chief Minister informed that Haryana is polio and leprosy free and now Government is making efforts to make the State tuberculosis free.
At present pension amounting to Rs1200 was being given to persons with disabilities which would be increased to Rs1400 from January 2016. It would become Rs2000 in the year 2019, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Krishan Pal Gurjar said that new schemes will be introduced under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make the persons with disabilities self reliant and to rehabilitate them.
He said that there are 2.68 crore persons with disabilities in the country for whom camps were being organised by the Government. Apart from this, a scheme has been prepared to provide Universal I-Card to persons with disabilities.
The specialty of this I-Card is that the persons with disabilities carrying this card could avail benefits in any part of the country, he added.
The Union Minister also announced to open a college for persons with disabilities in Karnal soon.
Gurjar said that every year, 30,000 deaf and dumb children take birth and a scheme is in pipeline to make such children competent.
With a view to provide every facility to persons with disabilities in Government buildings, 48 cities of the country have been selected including Gurgaon and Faridabad of Haryana where ramps would be constructed in Government buildings for them, added the Union Minister.