Telangana To Expand Disability Welfare Measures
Hyderabad: The Telangana government will soon open Intermediate classes in special schools for disabled people in Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar and Miryalaguda, welfare minister Adluri Lakshman Kumar said on Saturday. He added that the government is considering increasing the monthly disability pension from ₹ 4,000 to ₹ 6,000 and will constitute an Advisory Board for Persons with Disabilities.
Announcing the measures during the 146th birth anniversary celebrations of Helen Keller in Hyderabad, Lakshman Kumar said persons with disabilities should be treated as equal partners in the progress of the State and not merely as welfare beneficiaries.
Marriage allowance has been doubled from ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh. Scooters, electric mobility vehicles and assistive devices have been distributed to nearly 2,000 beneficiaries in all 33 districts in the past two and a half years. He said that salaries of teachers in private schools are received on time, and disabled people are given priority within the scope of the Indiramma Housing Program and other social assistance programs. GO 34 allows government employees with disabilities to request transfers to locations of their choice.
“I stand before you not only as a minister but also as a member of your family. Your problems are my responsibility,” Lakshman Kumar said.
Recalling Keller’s life, she explained how he lost his sight and hearing at the age of 19 months, became the first deafblind person to graduate from college, and began working as a writer, speaker and disability rights advocate. “He lived in darkness but enlightened the lives of millions,” he said.
“You don’t deserve sympathy, you deserve opportunities,” the minister told the students. The esteemed SSC distributed laptops, mobile phones and assistive devices to secondary and undergraduate students, interacted with them and joined them for lunch. He said that a statue of disability rights advocate Javed Abidi will be placed in the ministry building.
