Implement RPWD Act immediately: Gehlot

HYDERABAD: Pointing out that Telangana is one of the states which has not yet begun full-fledged implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016, Union minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Thawar Chand Gehlot, urged the government to begin work on this front soon. To start with, he said, the state should start formulating rules for the implementation of the Act which will benefit lakhs of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Telangana. 

“The new Act has increased the number of categories of the PWDs which will ensure that no person is left behind. While some of the states started implementing the Act from April 2017, several states have still not formulated the rule. I appeal to the state government to start working on this immediately,” said the minister. He also released the Telugu version of the Act in the city. The Act has several aspects which will ensure that most of the disabilities are covered and benefit from the schemes, he added. 

He also urged the government to include reservation for PWDs in higher education and in employment, and issue the Universal Identity (UID) cards which can help in making services available across the country. K Laxman, state BJP president, who was also present, said that the Bill of the RPWD Act was rotting in the Parliament for at least 10 years. “Today, after it has been enacted, the Telangana government isn’t showing any concern. Though they are saying that the state’s education system is one of the best, is there a single school accessible for Children with Disabilities(CWDs)?” he questioned. 

“They need to be given opportunities and recognised to be more than pensioners. The Right to Education Act should also be implemented. Bhavitha schools set up for CWDs are being run by teachers appointed on contract basis. This needs to change,” he said, adding that health cards and free travel passes should be issued for PWDs. “Mobile vans with doctors should be set up to issue SADARAM cards for all the PWDs so that they can avail the schemes of the government,” he further said. 

Students and children from various organisations and institutions shared that a lot of their issues were not being addressed. A number of PWDs with orthopedic disabilities were struggling to enter the premises of Tyaga Raja Gana Sabha in Chikkadpally where the awareness meeting about the Act was held. One 25-year-old aspiring civil servant with orthopedic disability shared that the government’s study circle, which was functional in 2014, did not exist now. Another senior citizen, who is hearing and visually impaired, shared that health cards under the Swavlamban Health Insurance Scheme should be made available. “It can take care of our health needs and help us avail health benefits upto `2 lakh,” he said. 

Gehlot visits institute for mentally handicapped
The Union minister also visited the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped (NIMH) early on Saturday to review the activities of the institute. He said that he was happy with the fact that funds allocated to the institute were being utilised as per plan. “There are eight main institutes in the country and we have been providing funds for their modification. We doubled the aid provided to NIMH this year and the hostel for SC/ST students pursuing diverse courses related to mental health is progressing well,” he said. The SC/ST hostel at NIMH is being set up with a fund of `14 crore sponsored by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and can accommodate 64 students at a given time.