From the States

Bangalore, Jammu & Kashmir

Lucknow

New Delhi

Pune

Vellore

Seminar on implementing the Persons with Disabilities Act

Karnataka High Court judge, V Gopala Gowda asked physically challenged people to knock at the doors of the courts for enforcement of their rights.

Inaugurating a one-day conference on the persons with disabilities, Justice Gowda recalled a recent Supreme Court ruling that all courts in India should dispose off cases involving the disabled on a priority basis. The participants were a blend of senior government officers, voluntary workers, advocates, medical specialists, architects and representatives of associations working for persons with disabilities.

Justice Gowda said that under Article 14, equal opportunities should be given to all citizens irrespective of any physical or mental disability that some might have. It is said that in 2006 Karnataka has about five lakh physically challenged people.

In order to implement the Persons with Disabilities Act the Finance, Planning, RDPR, DPAR, Education and Public Works Department were given a presentation regarding its implementation in their respective departments.

Ms Rajini Srikumar, principal secretary, women and child welfare department, advised parents that early detection of disabilities would prevent them from spending more money later on correction and treatment. She also called for corporate support in the field of disabilities.

Source: Disabled asked to take legal aid. Deccan Herald, Bangalore, 19 May 2006.

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Loopholes in the UP pension scheme

If you are physically-challenged and expecting to avail the benefits of the UP Government's pension policy, be ready for a rude shock. Reason, the sarkari rigmarole attached may drain you physically and mentally, forcing you to drop the plan.

In order to provide the financial assistance to every eligible handicapped person in the State, the State government hiked the budget allocation from Rs. 35 crores to Rs. 130 crores from this financial year. But is this hike enough to cater to all eligible candidates and the answer will be in the negative.

Generally, the budgetary allocation is as low as Rs. 150 per month. The handicapped people also have to receive their money through a bank. In case, if they do not have a bank account, they cannot receive the money which is very problematic for those people who do not frequent banks.

Ram Sharan, a complainant said that it was really difficult for them to frequently visit a bank. They want some easy way out so that they can receive the money with ease.

Source: Pension shock for disabled, The Pioneer, Lucknow, 16 May 2006.

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Pondering over her future..

For Rashmi Taneja, a visually impaired student who scored 88.2% marks in the class XII exams, everything was not as simple as she made it sound. Good books, especially for higher classes, are not always available in Braille. She found a solution with some help from her mother.

She used to key in the books in her computer and then she used a speech software to 'read' them. She did not have private tutors - her mother was the only one to tutor her and she was very happy with her results. Both her mother, Neelam and Rashmi are thankful to Rashmi's school Apeejay, Pritampura, where she has studied since nursery.

Neelam said that they were always extremely supportive. But she was noticeably uneasy about her daughter's next goal - SRCC College. Neelam said that Rashmi was keen on it and her teachers had also told her that it was important for a talented girl like her to study in a regular college.

But she did not know if she could commute between Pritampura and North Campus every day. But if Rashmi's remarkable efforts so far are any indicator, she'll find a way to overcome this obstacle as well.

Source: Mom keyed In Books, was Rashmi's tutor .The Times of India, New Delhi, 24 May 2006.

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New directorate to tackle issues concerning women and children

The Delhi Government has decided to set up a separate Directorate of Women and Child Development to give impetus to various schemes relating to the welfare of women and children.

Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit issued direction to this effect in a meeting convened to review functioning of new schemes relating to Education and Social Welfare Department announced in the budget for the year 2006-07.

The meeting as attended by Social Welfare Minister Yoganand Shastri, Secretaries with Social Welfare Education and Culture, and Labour departments and others senior officers.

The new directorate would handle all the schemes relating to development of women and children, Street Shakti Programme and Integrated Child Development Scheme. It would go a long way in gearing up machinery to ensure benefits of the various schemes to the genuine beneficiaries.

It was also decided to formally launch schemes for providing books and uniforms to schoolchildren, financial grant on birth of girl child and unemployment allowance to handicapped persons in July 2006.

Source: New directorate to handle women child welfare. The Tribune, Chandigarh, 21 May 2006.

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Blind student aced his boards

Air Force School, Viman Nagar, is particularly proud of Dinesh Thole, a visually impaired student, who secured a total of 81.6% and top score of 95% in business studies.

The Principal, Deepti Parab described Dinesh as an amazing boy with a firmly positive attitude. While the school provided him with a special computer in the lab, Deepti also persuaded Dinesh's father to buy him a special laptop which he used during lectures. He recorded lectures with help of a microphone and listened to them at home and keyed in his doubts.

Source: Laptop to Blind Student's Aid, The Times of India, New Delhi, 24 May 2006.

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Mobile troupe..

Singers, both men and women were all visually-challenged, but with their beautiful voices, they captured the attention of the locals. Scores of passers by stopped and listened to the music of the mobile orchestra of the Blind & Physically Handicapped Future Development Charitable Trust & Training Centre (BPHFDTTC), headed by its president Govindarajan.

The orchestra has toured as many as 12 districts in southern Tamil Nadu. It is now on a mission to raise funds for building a home for as many as 160 disabled people living in thatched house in Puliampatti, Salem district. Though some of the troupe members were professionals, their main aim was to build a house for the disabled and not establishing themselves in the profession.

Govindarajan has been maintaining this mobile orchestra for the last three years. He said that theirs was the only institution in India that consists of the blind, the physically and mentally challenged, the destitute, widows and orphans.

But, there has been no help from the government to construct a permanent house, despite their repeated appeals. Their present task is not that easy. Barring their voices, everything else is rented and they have to meet their daily expenses as well. Their target is to collect Rs. 10,000 a day, of which Rs. 5,000 will be spent on daily expenditure like payment for the troupe members.

During a two-day camp in Vellore the troupe collected only Rs.5,000. They said that this was not new to them as response varied from place to place.

Source: Blind orchestra for a noble cause, Indian Express, Chennai, 22 May 2006.

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