Kuldeep Singh does not allow his polio-ridden legs come in way of his fight for justice for the physically handicapped section of the society.
Kuldeep Singh Rathod with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Niwas in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday
A resident of Baddowal Cantonment in Ludhiana, he started his expedition on tri-cycle on December 1, 2010, and till date has travelled 23,795 km throughout the country to awaken the apathetic Governments towards rights of disabled people in the country.
He has met the Chief Ministers and Governors of 17 States he has covered so far and presented his appeal to increase monthly pension for persons with disability to ` 1,000, provision of BPL cards to elderly and widows with disabilities and monthly stipend of ` 2,500 to unemployed educated disabled youths.
On Tuesday, Kuldeep met Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seeking his intervention into the demands.
“The Chief Minister’s reply was not assertive,” said Kuldeep, adding that if no affirmative reply comes from the Odisha Government on his demands within 72 hours, he and his supporters in the State would launch an indefinite hunger strike.
This is his second visit to Odisha, the first being in 2011.
In India, some States like Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu issue disability certificates and pay Rs 1,000 per month for those with 40 per cent to 74 pc disability, and Rs 1,500 for those with 75 pc and above disability. “In Odisha, however, the Government only provides disability certificates and BPL cards to those with 75 pc and above disability,” said Kuldeep, who is a Graduate in Commerce.
Also the patron of Rashtriya Besahara Vikalang Federation, he said the main intention of the expedition is to highlight the problems of the disabled.
His resolve to embark on a journey across the country was strengthened by the encouragement of his well-wishers and his wife, Kiran Kaur who is also polio affected and works as a school teacher. After his Odisha mission, he plans to cycle to Jharkhand, Raipur and West Bengal where the respective Governments had assured him of looking into his demands a year back, but have not initiated any step.
Source : The New Indian Express , 8th May 2013
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