ARUNACHAL PRADESH: APPOINT AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSIONER FOR PWDS: UNION MINISTER

Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Thaawarchand Gehlot has asked the GoAP to immediately appoint an independent Commissioner for persons with disabilities (PwDs) for easing of schemes and funds flow from the Centre without any glitches.

Responding to Chief Minister Pema Khandu’s pleas on several aspects pertaining to PwDs, the Union Minister said he would be happy to grant all and asked the state government to submit the proposals to his ministry immediately.

“Submit the proposals and I assure approval within a month,” he announced.

Expressing satisfaction over the camp (‘Samajik Adhikarita Shivir’), a free-of-cost distribution of aids and assistive devices camp for PwDs held at Dorjee Khandu State Convention Center here on Thursday, Gehlot informed that 957 PwDs, including senior citizens, have been provided with aids and assistive devices amounting to Rs 67.37 lakh free of cost. He added that in the last five years, the ministry has organized 7150 such camps benefitting 11 lakh persons and costing Rs 620 crore.

Talking about the Cochlear implant and the assistance provided by his ministry, Gehlot informed that till date 1220 children below the age of six, including one from Arunachal Pradesh, have been provided with the free implant that costs about Rs 6 lakh each. He appealed people to write to the ministry with proper address and details if they have or know of any child below six who can’t hear and speak and assured the government would immediately provide the assistance.

Earlier, the Chief Minister called for assistance from the Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment to help the state declare Papum-Pare, the district with the highest population, as disability-free by December 2018.

Speaking on the occasion, Khandu said that the state govt would like to take up on mission mode to make the entire state disability-free starting with Papum Pare as a pilot project.

As per the 2011 census, Arunachal Pradesh has a total population of 1383727 and according to National Sample Survey 2001 there are 33315 disabled persons, which comprise 3% of its total population, a notch higher than the national average.

Hailing the camp and the presence of the Union Minister with his top officials, Khandu said it was an opportune moment for him and the state govt to gain knowledge on various schemes and welfare projects being implemented by the Central government.

Admitting that even the nodal department of the state govt – dept of Social Justice, Empowerment and Tribal Affairs (SJETA) – is not fully aware of all the schemes being implemented by the Central government for PwDs, the CM exhorted the departmental officials headed by the Commissioner to learn from the experience and set on work with renewed determination.

He informed that the state government, through SJETA, is implementing the Chief Minister’s Disability Pension scheme – a flagship program of the state govt that offers financial assistance of Rs 1000 per month as economic rehabilitation. During 2017-18 a total amount of Rs 82, 08,000 were disbursed to 684 beneficiaries across the state.

Under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), the state govt adds Rs 1700 to Centre’s Rs 300 giving a total subsistence of Rs Rs 2000 per month to PwDs in the age group of 60 to 79 years. Likewise, the state ads Rs 1500 to Centre are Rs 500 and pays Rs 2000 per month to beneficiaries above the age of 80.

Referring to the Union Ministry’s assistance to deaf and dumb children to go for Cochlear implant –surgically implanting an electronic medical device that bypasses the damaged hair cells of the inner ear to provide sound signals to the brain – Khandu said the state needs to take full advantage of it.

Expressing gratitude to the Union Minister for approving establishment of a Composite Regional Center (CRC) in the state last year, the CM regretted that the state govt couldn’t take the advantage. He directed the SJETA Commissioner to take note of it and immediately acquire a suitable plot of land and follow up with the ministry. He also directed the dept to fast track the process of enrolling and provision of Unique ID for PwDs for implementation of UDID Project and Card generation.

Khandu also requested the Union Ministry to consider opening a manufacturing unit of the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation Ltd (ALIMCO), a Govt of India undertaking, in Arunachal Pradesh that would cater to the entire North East region. He pointed that ALIMCO, which manufactures aids and assistive devices for PwDs, has only four Auxiliary Production Centres at Bhubaneswar (Orissa), Jabalpur (M.P), Bengaluru (Karnataka) and Chanalon (Punjab) with just one Outreach Centre at Guwahati.

Among others, Union MoS Home Kiren Rijiju, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, State Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Nabam Rebia, Secretary to the Union Ministry Shakuntala D Gamlin, Union Joint Secretary, officials from ALIMCO and state govt were present.