Phone helpline for persons with disabilities
Special Correspondent
"Multi-disciplinary approach essential to prevent disability"
UNVEILING PLANS: Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment
Subbulakshmi Jagadesan (left), with Dr. L. Govinda Rao, Director, NIMH, at a
consultative meeting in Chennai on Tuesday. Poongothai, State Minister for
Social Welfare, is als o in the picture. Photo: K. Pichumani
CHENNAI: A telephonic helpline for persons with disabilities will be introduced
in all cities in the country, including those in Tamil Nadu, Union Minister
of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan, said on
Tuesday.
Such services had already been started in Mumbai and New Delhi by the Central
government, Ms. Jagadeesan said, listing the measures taken for the welfare
of persons with disabilities. Earlier this year, the Centre had also unveiled
its National Policy for Persons with Disability, apart from kick-starting
a nation-wide discussion on amendments to the Persons with Disabilities Act,
1995. Speaking at the inaugural of the second regional consultation, organised
by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the State government to
discuss the proposed amendments to the PWD Act, held in Chennai, Ms. Jagadeesan
said the National Policy endeavoured to pay attention to equal opportunities,
education and employment of the target group.
On receipt of complaints that the process of obtaining a disability certificate
was cumbersome, the Centre had launched discussions with the states to
streamline
and simplify the process. She added that a `camp' approach could be adopted, or
a single day allotted for the purpose. Tamil Nadu's Social Welfare Minister
Poongothai Aladi Aruna said that a multi-disciplinary approach was essential to
prevent disability and handle it in the event that it occurs. Healthcare
workers, NGOs, legal experts, government departments and the public should work
together to ensure not only the prevention of disability, but also a
non-stigmatised,
barrier free environment for persons with disability.
She urged NGOs to maintain proper documentation of their activities and a
database of their beneficiaries. This would be essential not only to replicate
success stories, but also useful in getting grants for projects. She said the
government was committed to providing holistic care for persons with
disabilities.
Representatives of various NGOs suggested amendments to the Act, which included
allowing special treatment for special schools, providing for a strict
regulatory framework, specifying time periods for implementation as per the Act
and paying attention to employment opportunities for the differently-abled.
The central government's proposed recommendations to the Act come 11 years
after the PWD Bill was passed in Parliament in 1995. Coming at this stage, the
desire of the policy makers was to make the Act comprehensive and viable for
several years to come. While awareness about the Act had increased, the Chief
Commissioner and State Commissioners for the disabled have received over the
years a number of complaints about the provisions of and the implementation
of the Act, according to Sundeep Khanna, additional secretary, Ministry of
Social Justice and Empowerment.
Source: "The Hindu", dated: 19-07-2006
With regards,
Gopalakrishnan
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