Dear Madam, I am thankful to you for addressing some of the concerns raised by me in my previous email. I am pointing out here some of the descrepencies in the PART A of the various categories of persons with disabilities who are given the concessions by the Indian Railways. 1. For orthopaedically handicapped,mentally retarded, Deaf and Dumb persons the Authority required is that of a Government Doctor. But in case of Blind persons the certificate issued by RMP as well as the one issued by Head of IRCA listed Blind institution is also valid. along with that of the govt doctor. 2. For Deaf and Dumb, both the afflictions should be present in the same person but the rail concession is reduced to 50% unlike other disabilities mentioned above which is 75%. 3. There is another way the Orthopaedically/Paraplegic persons are handicapped.The concession is ALLOWED ONLY IF THOSE PERSONS CANNOT TRAVEL WITHOUT AN ESCORT. THIS CONCESSION IS NOT I REPEAT NOT GIVEN TO THOSE DISABLED WHO CAN TRAVEL ALONE IN WHEEL CHAIR OR WITH CRUTCHES thereby making them run around to find an escort.. When I went to Railway authorities in 1999 and met the concerned Medical officer after the passage of 1995 law, he asked me to produce a letter from the Ministry of Social Justice and empowerment headed at that time by Ms.Menaka Gandhi just stating the relevant law and asking the Railway authorities to provide the concession for Psycho social disabled. When I went to the office of Ms.Gowri Chatterjee,who was heading the disability section, she not only flatly refused to issue the letter but also stated that the law was a wrong move in including the psycho social disabled!!! The Railway official then asked me to produce the Disability certificate issued by the Ministry so that he can help and I found that there is no certification process at all initiated by the MOSHE because of the attitude of Ms.Maneka Gandhi.(Link is below) http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie20010813/op1.html It is the ERAWADI tragedy in 2000 which became the game changer for the Psycho social disabled and IPS formed a committee and brought out the IDEAS scale in 2002. The Amendment committee formed in 1999 did NOT address this issue at all. It had other priorities. It is at that time I came to know about WHODASS scale already in use by WHO but not implemented by MOSJE due to pressure from other disabilities who are entrenched in the bureaucracy of MOSJE and RCI(Rehabilitation council of India). The Railway concession form should be uniform and method of certification uniform,, the concessions should be uniform without discrimination and independence of Orthopeadically handicapped also should be recognized is my humble request.The carriage of an escort should be at the discretion of the Disabled person. with kind regards. "Greatness lies not in never falling but in rising everytime we fall"Captain Johann samuhanand, BANGALORE INDIA91 80 42023252 www.captainjohann.blogspot.com
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