Govt urged to hike monthly aid for diffables

TN differently abled welfare association district president S Durairaj appealed to the CM to hike the monthly maintenance grant, being given through revenue department, from Rs1000 to 3000 and  severely disabled from Rs 2000, being given through differently abled welfare department, to Rs 5000.

Citing the HC concern over meagre aid to Diffables, he said that the CM recently hiked the aid for severely disabled from Rs 1500 to 2000. But,  many were getting Rs 1000 only.  As most of them were poor, he wanted an hike in the aid to Rs 3000 and Rs 5000. He said the TNSCB constructed over 3000 flats at 
Nallamangapalayam, Chithodu and over 275 Diffables applied for flats as the government itself invited applications from them.  Initially, 10 percent of the cost of the flat (over Rs 80000) was demanded as beneficiaries' share per flat.  But, now, Rs 2 lakh  is demanded citing road laying cost. Many Diffables face much hardship to remit the enhanced sum. So, he appealed to the local Housing Minister S Muthusamy to restore the old fee to allot the house.  Similarly, 5 years back 86 Diffables got free house site pattas at a hillock near Chithodu. As the land is not suitable for constructing houses,  the Diffables staged many stir.

   Now the minister promised to give sites in other areas. He appealed to him to speed up the process to give sites in suitable places. He said as per the norm MP and MLAs granted some fund out of their constituency development fund to give kits like calipers,  artificial limbs, hearing aids,  wheel chairs, cell phones, walking sticks for visually impaired and tricycles, scooters etc to Diffables. But, after corona, no fund was granted.  As many Diffables needed such aid and the aid given by differently abled welfare department was inadequate, he appealed to the Collector to get some fund out of MPs and MLAs fund to grant the aid materials by conducting camps in all blocks.  In fact, the  calipers were not distributed for the past 5 years. Even a workshop to repair them free of cost in the office of the department was remain closed. So,  Diffables have to spend nearly Rs 300 to 500 everytime to repair them as a caliper would withstand for 3 years only.  Urging the government to hike the quota for Diffables from  4 to 5 percent, he said nearly 10 years back, a special TNPSC exam was held for Diffables from Group 1 to 4 posts. Now, it announced a work to collect vacancies in various departments to hold such special TNPSC exam for Diffables. 

He pleaded to the CM to speed up the work to help many educated Diffables to get jobs in government sector as the HC and SC themselves gave directions in this regard.