'263 crore invested for welfare of differently abled' : Chennai

 B Valamarathi, Minister for Social Welfare, and other dignitaries at the inauguration of ‘Orientation course on equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in employment’ on Tuesday. 

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The State Government has invested Rs 263 crore for the welfare of the differently abled, said Social Welfare Minister B Valaramathi.

She was speaking at the one-day seminar on ‘Orientation  course on equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in employment’, organised by the Tamil Nadu Health System Project on the DMS Campus in the city on Tuesday. The Minister outlined the efforts carried out by government to provide employment for people with disabilities. This year, the government has invested `263 crore for the welfare of the differently abled, she said.“The government has already provided 358 jobs to the differently abled through the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission. 1,900 differently abled people have benefited by the training programmes conducted by the government. The Teachers Recruitment Board has provided another 468 jobs in the category,” she said.

She added that the government had appointed a specialised committee to provide employment for the differently abled and look in to their concerns.

She asked the officials present at the event to identify the various categories where the jobs can be provided for the differently abled in their particular departments. The event saw presentations on a range of topics including ‘Provisions of Persons with Disabilities Act (PWD  Act) 1995 relating to employment  rules and reservation policy of Tamil Nadu’. In his presentation on the PWD Act, Deputy Director of the Commissioner for Welfare of the Differently abled said that there must be continuous monitoring of the status of jobs provided under the reservation categories.

He stressed on direct recruitment and promotions, and coordination with employment exchange programs when it came to the recruitment of the differently abled.

The other sessions included implementation of various statutory provisions, government orders relating to employment of differently abled and also a brainstorming session on strategies for improving productivity of visually impaired, hearing impaired and locomotor differently abled.

Source : The New Indian Express , 28th August 2013