Mysore/Mysuru: In an initiative aimed at addressing issues concerning differently abled persons, the District Administration held a grievances meeting at the ZP Hall here yesterday, in which officials from the ZP, MCC, Women and Child Development Department and the Department for the Empowerment of Differently Abled and Senior Citizens took part.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dr. K.V. Rajendra,who chaired the meeting, said he was holding this meeting following demands from physically challenged persons from across the district who wanted to air their grievances at a district-level official platform.

Reacting to complaints that fake disability certificates are being issued, which had deprived the real physically challenged persons of due benefits, the DC  directed the officials to conduct a probe and take disciplinary action against errant staff of the concerned departments and also to initiate criminal proceedings against doctors who were found issuing fake disability certificates .

 With the Assembly polls round the corner, Dr. Rajendra pointed out that persons with more than 40 percent disability should contact their respective Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for updation of their EPIC cards and also for enrolment in voter list. He further said that updation and enrolment of eligible voters will help the Election Commission for extending help to the differently abled voters to cast their ballots on the polling day.

When the DC asked the authorities to give statistical details of physically challenged persons in the district, District Officer of Department for the Empowerment of Differently Abled and Senior Citizens Malini said according to available statistics, there are 44,490 physically challenged persons, out of whom 33,000 are availing monthly pension under various Government schemes meant for them.

The Election Commission has taken measures for inclusion of transgender community members in the electoral rolls. Hence, the two Departments should make joint efforts to issue fresh or update their EPIC cards so as to enable them to take part in the democratic process.

Prabhuswamy, the Head of an NGO working for the differently abled, said that a good number of differently abled persons are suffering from Thalassemia and wanted the District Administration to come to their help by providing financial aid for medicines which cost them around Rs.2,000 a month. The DC directed the officials to ask the local Panchayats to prepare a list of Thalassemia patients and send it to the district administration for consideration.

Some NGOs who attended the meeting, wanted the District Administration to locate the Departments of Women and Child Development and Differently Abled on the ground floor itself, as some of them are working from the upper floors of buildings, which is causing a lot of inconvenience to the physically challenged. They cited  the example of the KSRTC bus stand, where the disabled are often asked to visit the concerned section which is  on the third floor for issuance of bus passes, which has severely inconvenienced them.

Transgender community leader Pranati Prakash complained that the community members were not getting ‘Mythri’ scheme applications. Pointing out that the scheme enables members of sexual minorities who are in the age group of 18 to 64 years to get a monthly pension of Rs.500, Pranati wanted the DC to address this issue, to which the DC said he would direct the concerned authorities to look into the matter. The DC further instructed the officials to prepare a list of beneficiaries who are covered under ‘Mythri’ Scheme.

ZP CEO B.R. Poornima, MCC Additional Commissioner Roopa, members of various NGOs who are associated with disabled welfare and others concerned attended the meeting.