4,500 specially abled get rly concession card sans applying

Nagpur: Persons with disabilities have to run pillar to post, and endure lengthy processes, to get concession cards for railways and state transport buses. However, 4,500 persons with disabilities in the district recently received their railway e-concession smart cards, without even applying for it, and their cards for MSRTC buses too are in the works.
The District Disability Rehabilitation Centre (DDRC) headed by collector Ashwin Mudgal and coordinator Abhijit Raut have extended this courtesy to 4,500 persons with disabilities.

The physically challenged had to wait for years, and frequent the DDRC to get disability certificate. In 2017 and 2018, the then collector Sachin Kurwe and Raut had conducted a special drive, where 6,500 persons were given disability certificates. During the drive, DDRC had got all types of documents of these disabled people.

After getting the disability certificate, the beneficiaries have to usually submit separate applications to the railways and MSRTC to obtain concession cards.

However, without informing the beneficiaries, or bragging about the noble gesture, Mudgal and Raut submitted applications to the railways on behalf of 4,500 disabled, 2,000 from the city and 2,500 from rural areas.

Raut said railway officials supported the initiative after Mudgal spoke to them. “We certified applications of the disabled. The railways issued e-concession smart cards to 4,500. Now, these disabled can book tickets on IRCTC website too and avail the concession. Also, the disabled will not be required to carry any proof or disability certificate with them while travelling as e-concession smart card is enough for everything,” he said.

DDRC has already started to send the cards to beneficiaries to their houses. DDRC has taken the help of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Zilla Parishad to send the cards, along with a list of other benefits to all through speed post. NMC and ZP are bearing the expense of postage and other charges. This became possible due to the efforts of Mudgal and Raut.

Raut said the next target is to provide all disabled MSRTC bus concession card. “We are in discussions with MSRTC,” he said.

Also, DDRC has submitted a list of disabled with all documents to the election department at the collectorate. Their names will be registered in electoral rolls if they are not already registered.

The district administration under Kurwe and Mudgal had earlier started sending all types of certificates to students at their homes from SETU since last two years. Also, they started mutation in city survey records automatically after sale deed is registered with registration department.