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Centre To Introduce Special Identity Cards For The Differently Abled

Centre To Introduce Special Identity Cards For The Differently Abled
SRINAGAR, KASHMIR, INDIA - SEPTEMBER 01: Mudasir Ahmad, 10, a blind student reads from a Braille written by him on a notebook at Abhedananda Home, a school for deaf, mute and blind students on September 1, 2015 in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian administered controlled Kashmir State, India. The school is having difficulty owing to a lack of funds after the government stopped grants to it. The school was established in 1941 and presently teaches 100 special needs children. It was severely damaged in last years September floods, which killed over 200 and damaged property costing billions of dollars. The government declined any help to restore the infrastructure at this school, school authorities said. Disability is an important public health problem, especially in developing countries like India where a majority of the disabled live where accessibility, availability, and utilization of rehabilitation services and its cost-effectiveness are major issues. (Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)
Yawar Nazir via Getty Images
SRINAGAR, KASHMIR, INDIA - SEPTEMBER 01: Mudasir Ahmad, 10, a blind student reads from a Braille written by him on a notebook at Abhedananda Home, a school for deaf, mute and blind students on September 1, 2015 in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian administered controlled Kashmir State, India. The school is having difficulty owing to a lack of funds after the government stopped grants to it. The school was established in 1941 and presently teaches 100 special needs children. It was severely damaged in last years September floods, which killed over 200 and damaged property costing billions of dollars. The government declined any help to restore the infrastructure at this school, school authorities said. Disability is an important public health problem, especially in developing countries like India where a majority of the disabled live where accessibility, availability, and utilization of rehabilitation services and its cost-effectiveness are major issues. (Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)

NEW DELHI -- Revealing that the Centre was planning to introduce special identity cards for all persons with disabilities in the country, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot has said that it would enable them to claim the benefits of various government welfare schemes.

Gehlot also announced a financial aid of Rs. 19 crore for completing the project.

He congratulated the Kerala Government for preparing an authentic data bank of differently-abled citizens in the state.

"The upcoming Accessible India Campaign -Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan- would strive to promote the concept of universal accessibility for all, especially for persons with disabilities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the project on December 3 and districts including Kozhikode would get special funds from the government to facilitate the implementation of the project," he said.

Explaining the steps taken by the Centre for the welfare of the differently-abled, Gehlot said the government has extended pre-matric and post-matric scholarships to all eligible students.

"The Union Government has also requested state governments to come up with proposals for the welfare and rehabilitation of the differently-abled," he added.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.