Leprosy patients awaiting grant since November

CHENNAI: Disability rights activists in the city complain that the monthly grant of Rs 1,500 has not been issued to leprosy patients since November 2020. They say the problem is only persistent in a few districts.
“The social welfare scheme was introduced in 2010.

About 2.2 lakh people with different disabilities receive the grant. Of this, about 10,000 people are leprosy patients who have not been receiving the amount since November 2020. Most of them depend on this money for their medicines and food,” said S Namburajan, State general secretary, The Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently-Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC).

“While leprosy patients in Chennai, Pudukottai, Dindigul and Salem districts have not been receiving the amount, those in other districts, such as Cuddalore, Thanjavur and Coimbatore, have been receiving it on time,” he added.

Those who haven’t been receiving the money find it hard to get food and other essentials. “Since the lockdown, even funding from philanthropists stopped. We were dependent on this money for our daily needs, and have been struggling since November,” said P Suresh, a patient living in Vandalur.

He added he is undergoing treatment at a government hospital and hasn’t had money to go there for the past few weeks. Another man, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “We are a family of four, including two kids. Vegetable prices have been soaring, and it is difficult to even eat one meal a day.

We were urging the government to increase the grant, but they are not even giving us our due.” An official from the Disability Welfare Department said funds under the Fixed Medical Allowance will be sanctioned by the third week of February.