With the State commemorating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Thursday, the second instalment of the pensions meant for the disabled as announced with fanfare by the State Government have remained elusive for the beneficiaries due to fund constraint. They are waiting for the second installment from July to September while the officials at the Social Welfare Department , Dehradun says that the budget is likely to arrive by the end of January 2016. However, things are not certain, one of them said.
Tricycles , crutches , wheelchairs , blind kits and some prizes were distributed among the disabled to mark the day. Deepankar Ghildiyal , a Social Welfare Department official based in Dehradun, said that tricycles were distributed among10 people while wheelchairs among 15, crutches among 8 , blind kits among 10 children were given. Apart from this, 40 disabled people were awarded with `5000 each at the camp which was organised on December 3 to commemorate the occasion.
There are several schemes for the disabled people like dwarf pension worth `800 a month for people who are below 4 feet in height. Disability allowance meant for the disabled below the age of 18 years is worth `500 per month. Besides, prizes are distributed among the disabled couples who register themselves within one year after their marriages.
This aside, the people with above 40 percent disability and whose income is below `4000 per month is given `800 a month , informed the official.
It is learnt that around 12853 disabled people are given pension in Dehradun.“We are expecting the pension to arrive by the end of January 2016. But we are not sure yet with the State suffering from acute fund crunch,” said one of the Social Welfare Department officials, insisting on anonymity.