The Union government has decided to roll out universal identity cards for persons with disabilities from Haryana. http://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/haryana-to-have-universal-id-cards-for-disabled-krishan-pal-gurjar/story-kOkZGRnb8uRhnfTWJVJj3K.html Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar said here on Thursday that the card would have a unique number with which their details can be accessed by the click of a button.
He said the initiative would help in ensuring the authenticity of disability certificates and eliminate hassles of having to carry the certificates for different purposes, as various details, including the type of disabilities, would be made available online. “We are aiming at issuing the first universal disability ID cards soon and Haryana will be the first state where identified persons would be allotted these cards,” he said at a function for distribution of assistive devices to 3,210 differently-abled persons of the district. On the occasion, tricycles, wheelchairs, calliper, hearing aids, Braille kits and slates, assistive daily living (ADL) kits for lepers etc worth Rs 2.9 crore were distributed. The minister said the scheme would directly benefit 2.68 crore differently-abled population of the country. According to official sources, universal ID card would contain complete details of a differently-abled person including personal, bank, disability certificate, employment, education and income status which could be accessed using their number. “One of the major advantages of these ID cards is that migrant persons with disabilities need not have to travel to their home states for authorisations, as details would be available online. Further, the cards will resolve problems of duplicate and fraudulent disability certificates that are being issued, causing issues in the delivery of benefits,” said an official. Separate department for disabled “Haryana has a population of 5.5 lakh persons with disabilities and they deserve to have a separate administrative wing to redress their grievances,” Gurjar added. (HT photo) Gurjar urged chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar to form an independent department for the disabled in Haryana. “Haryana has a population of 5.5 lakh persons with disabilities and they deserve to have a separate administrative wing to redress their grievances. The Union ministry had first adopted similar department in 2006 and it had proved beneficial to work in the direction” he said. Gurjar also made an appeal to the corporate houses to join hands with the Union government in rehabilitating children with speech and hearing disabilities. “According to official estimations, 30,000 children are born every year with speech and hearing disability. It takes around Rs 7 lakh for equipment, surgery and imparting speech therapy for each patient and only a handful of families can afford it for their children. The Union government has decided to offer assistance to 500 children every year, corporate sector should come forward to take this noble job,” he said. Special motorised vehicles On the occasion, Gurjar also urged the Haryana government to identify persons for special motorised vehicles. “An automated tricycle costs Rs 37,000 and the Centre gives a subsidy of Rs 25,000 for the same. Funds could be generated from the MPLAD fund, corporate houses or other welfare schemes. People with special needs are able to perform better if ample assistance and chance is given to them,” he said. The minister said Gurgaon and Faridabad were among 48 cities across India where all public places and buildings would be made accessible for the physically challenged persons -- Avinash Shahi Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
