Only 10,000 of 1.6 L specially-abled beneficiaries receiving aid under Orunodoi Scheme: Activists

Guwahati, Oct 29: Guwahati, Oct 29: A sizeable number of speciallyabled in Assam have been enduring extreme financial hardships for the last many months due to irregularity in payment of the monthly financial assistance under the Orunodoi scheme.

Talking to The Assam Tribune, disability rights activist and secretary of Pratibandhi Suraksha Sanstha, Assam Nripen Malakar informed that lakhs of specially-abled have been facing the problem for the last many months in the State. "Earlier, the speciallyabled were receiving around Rs 1,000 as monthly pension from the government. The number of beneficiaries receiving pensions was 1,60,612. Later, the State government decided to cover them under the Orunodoi scheme. But due to reasons best known to the government, only around 10,000 specially-abled are at present receiving monthly financial assistance under the Orunodoi scheme," Malakar said.

He alleged that in recent times, he has approached several senior officials of the State government seeking a solution to the problem, but to no avail.

“As per Section 24 of the Rights of Speciallyabled Act, a person with a disability should get 25 per cent extra monetary benefit under a scheme like Orunodoi. But in Assam, getting the benefit as mandated by the law is still a distant dream for persons with disabilities,” he said.

Nikodin Basumatary, a disability rights activist from Tamulpur informed that hundreds of speciallyabled have been deprived of getting the monthly financial assistance under the Orunodoi scheme for the last few months.

“We have approached several senior officials of the State government but no one has any answer to our issue. It is a serious discrimination against this section of people. Most of them have no other earning option and the monthly financial assistance is very necessary for them,” Basumatary stated.

Homen Buragohain, a visually impaired person from Dhemaji, informed that he has not received the monthly financial assistance under the Orunodoi scheme for the last many months.

“I am a visually impaired person. Earlier, the monthly pension and then the financial assistance under the Orunodoi scheme were of great help to me. But it has suddenly stopped. There are several speciallyabled like me who are facing the same situation,” Buragohain alleged.

The Pratibandhi Suraksha Sanstha, Assam has urged the Assam government to follow the Delhi government model and provide at least Rs 3,000 monthly pension to every person with disability in the State.

“The Delhi government has decided to provide monthly assistance of Rs 5,000 to people with more than 60 per cent disability. If the Delhi government can take such a step, then what is stopping the Assam government?" a statement from the organisation said.

The Sanstha threatened to undertake the Dispur gherao programme, if the State government does not take any step to provide at least Rs 3,000 as a monthly pension to speciallyabled in Assam within the next 15 days.

On October 5, the organisation staged a protest in the city demanding monthly pensions and appointments in the backlog posts. After the protest, the State government assured to look into the matter within 15 days, but unfortunately, nothing tangible has come out to date.

-by Staff Reporter