Centre provides aid and assistive devices to senior citizens, specially-abled in Punjab

Bathinda (Punjab) [India], January 3 (ANI): Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on Sunday organized distribution camp to provide aid and assistive devices to 1,343 Senior Citizens and 564 specially-abled in Bathinda, Punjab.
Krishan Pal Gurjar, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment e-inaugurated through video conference a Distribution camp for free distribution of aids and assistive devices at block level among the identified Senior citizens under Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) and Divyangjans (specially-abled) under Assistance to Disabled persons for purchasing / fitting of aids / appliances (ADIP) Scheme of Government of India at Bhatinda in Punjab on January 2.
Addressing on the occasion, Gurjar said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the budget allocation for welfare of Divyangjan has been increased consistently and also been utilised.
"The main aim of distributing assistive devices among Divyangjan is to empower them and bring them into the mainstream of society. Divyangjan are an integral part of human resource", he added.
Speaking about the need for conducting such distribution camps, the Minister said that organizing such camps helps in spreading the awareness about the welfare schemes run by the central government for Divyangjan.
Gurjar said that after implementation of Rights to Persons with Disabilities 2016, the categories for disability has increased from for 7 to 21 and increased reservation for Divyangjan in government jobs from 3% to 4% and also reservation in higher education is now increased to 5 per cent.
He further informed that scheme for implanting cochlear devices for children who are deaf and can't speak has been implemented by the ministry with the provision of Rs 6 lakh for each such child.
Total 1907 number of beneficiaries of Bhatinda District will be provided with 4590 number of assistive appliances of different category valuing worth Rs 162.47 Lakhs, these assistive devices will be distributed among the beneficiaries by organizing a series of distribution camps at the block level.
Among the total beneficiaries, 564 Divyangjan are under ADIP scheme and 1343 are Senior Citizen beneficiaries under Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana. The identification and registration of Senior Citizen beneficiaries were done in the month of January 2018 and the assessment camps for Divyangjan were conducted in the month of January last year by ALIMCO.
The total number of Aids and appliances that will be distributed in different blocks include 138 Tricycle, 734 Wheel Chair, 15 C.P Chair, 199 Crutches, 1305 Walking Sticks, 15 Rollator, 18 Smart Cane, 7 Smart Phone, 6 Daisy Player, Braille kit for visually impaired, 1843 Hearing Aid, 45 MSIED Kit for Intellectually Impaired and Tetrapod/Tripod and 106 Artificial Limbs and Calipers.
The camp was organized by ALIMCO, Kanpur working under the aegis of Department of Empowerment of Person with Disability (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in association with Social Welfare Department and District administration, Bhatinda. (ANI)