Performance of differently-abled is always better compared to general public: CM Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said the differently-abled people have shown their talents whenever they have got the opportunity.

He cited the examples of sage Ashtavakra, Socrates, scientist Stephen Hawking and Jagatguru Swami Ram Bhadracharya. Addressing a programme held at Dr Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University’s Atal auditorium here, Adityanath said: ”In the Para Asian Games held in China, our para athletes have won 111 medals.” ”The performance of the differently-abled is always better compared to the general public. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a new term ‘divyang’ instead of ‘viklang’ to honour the differently-abled individuals worldwide,” he added.

The chief minister said that Prime Minister Modi had implemented the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act in the country in 2016. The state government has fully complied with this Act, he added. Adityanath said the state government has increased the budget for schemes related to the ”welfare of divyangjan”. He said that divyangjans initially used to receive a monthly pension of Rs 300, adding the government has currently increased it to Rs 1,000 per month.

The chief minister said that approximately 10 lakh divyangjan in the state are benefiting from this facility today. Adityanath said that there was a provision of only Rs 312 crore in the 2016-17 budget for the welfare of divyangjan in the state, adding the state government has currently increased it to Rs 1,120 crore. He said that the differently-abled suffering from leprosy earlier used to receive a pension of Rs 2,500 while his government has increased it to Rs 3,000.

”In the year 2022-23, the distribution of artificial limbs to a total of 3,05,000 divyangjan in the state has been successfully carried out. Additionally, the distribution of 8,000 motorised tricycles has been done in all 80 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state,” added Adityanath.

The chief minister said the state government allocates Rs 40 crore annually to the transport department for the travel of divyangjan. Along with this, marriage incentive amount has been provided to 4,342 divyangjans in the state, he added.

Adityanath said that the medical grant amount for divyangjan in the state has now been increased to Rs 10,000. The chief minister said the state government is facilitating cochlear implant surgery with a financial assistance amount of up to Rs 6 lakh. An allocation of Rs 60.48 crore has been made for this purpose in the budget for 2023-24, he added.

Adityanath further said that there were initially three government shelter homes located in Meerut, Bareilly and Gorakhpur for the mentally-challenged in Uttar Pradesh.

Currently, the government has taken steps to establish six new centres, he added. Adityanath emphasized that efforts are being made to provide maximum opportunities for imparting higher education and technical education to divyangjan. Dr Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University will be made a state university along with Jagatguru Divyang University in Chitrakoot, he said.

The chief minister further said Uttar Pradesh is the ”first state in the country where two universities for divyangjan are operational”.

Adityanath also inaugurated an exhibition put up by social organisations and special schools during the state-level awards distribution programme, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement here.

He honoured individuals/institutions, employers and divyang employees, who have done excellent work in the field of empowerment of divyangjan, with state-level awards. The chief minister distributed artificial limbs and assistive devices to divyangjans on the occasion. He also honoured the meritorious students of special schools, the statement added.