BANGALORE: Divya (name changed) claimed she was speech and hearing impaired, and even had a certificate to prove it. But when a Lokayukta health investigator whispered in her ear, "What's your name?", she responded immediately: "Divya". Don't be shocked. For, Divya is just one among many perfectly normal people who have got themselves a certificate attesting to their disability.
All they did was pay touts any amount between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000. The benefits are many: a monthly allowance of around Rs 1000, a bus/train pass, employment, identity card or even a telephone booth! Genuine certificates are issued free of cost by authorised hospitals. Lokayukta investigators have unearthed a racket in which touts will help you get these certificates. Two NGOs dealing with disability, Angala Vikalara Jagruti Maha Samiti and Pragati Anga Vikalara Shema Abhivruddhi Sangha, lodged complaints with the Lokayukta office about discrepancies in issuing disability certificates. Subsequently, Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde entrusted doctors of Health Foundation to investigate. Investigators found material which indicated there was prima facie truth in the allegations and there're gross discrepancies while issuing certificates. Their complete report will be submitted to Justice Hegde soon. While there were discrepancies in certificates issued by several hospitals in the city, the disability board of a government hospital is particularly notorious for violating guidelines. When Lokayukta investigators visited the board, instead of three experts who would issue certificates as stipulated in central government guidelines, five doctors of different specialialites were examining people. These experts were paid Rs 800 per visit and they were not government employees but private practitioners. Lokayukta investigators — Dr C S Hanumanthappa, Dr R Chandrasekhara, Dr K Srinivasa Murthy and Dr K R Kamath — raided the board and after finding many discrepancies, summoned around 40 people who had been issued disability certifica-tes. "Only 26 of them turned up. Instead of regular doctors, we called doctors from Bowring Hospital and Victoria Hospital. Many cases were found faulty. The institute is supposed to rehabilitate disabled persons by issuing them aids like Jaipur Foot or hearing aids and training them but none of it was done. They were only issuing certificates," Lokayukta investigators, who were part of the raid, told TOI. It's not surprising that just after the raid, the board wound up operations in a mysterious manner and said it was no longer authorised to issue certificates. Equipment and aids worth crores are lying unused in that defunct building. Read more: Disability certificate for Rs 3,000 in Karnataka - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Disability-certificate-for... With Regards, Yours sincerely, KODAKKAL SHIVAPRASAD,FUWI, Award Winner/Record Holder-International Biographical Centre, PUBLIC RELAITION OFFICER - LEGAL AID CELL- NEW DELHI URL: www.disabilityindia.org/legalaid.cfm#5 www.kodakkal.ning.com Donate liberally for SOCIETY FOR CHILD DEVELOPMENT at: http://www.giveindia.org/m-890-society-for-child-development.aspx http://www.slide.com/r/KEUbOi627z_68qNdVS0tGBX1B1l_zTQP?previous_view=lt_embedded_url Please participate in my survery: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=EqeiLPy1zdWAnbnVn21xwA_3d_3d Please find my name for LIST OF STAKE HOLDERS at Serial No.56 & 57http://www.karmayog.org/nonprofits/redirect/strred.asp?docId=1410 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
