Differently-abled have shown their mettle in every field: U.P. CM
Yogi cited the examples of sage Ashtavakra, poet Surdas, scientist Stephen Hawking and Jagatguru Swami Rambhadracharya
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave respect to “divyangjans” (differently-abled people) and thereby inspired them to move forward in life in a dignified manner.
He also said the differently-abled people have shown their mettle whenever they have got a chance to do so with the encouragement and support of the society. The CM expressed these views while addressing a state-level award ceremony marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities at Lok Bhavan here.
Yogi cited the examples of sage Ashtavakra, poet Surdas, scientist Stephen Hawking and Jagatguru Swami Rambhadracharya. He said the government was working for every section of the society and moving forward with PM Modi’s “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” vision.
“There are two universities for specially-abled in the state namely Dr Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University, Lucknow, and Jagatguru Divyang University in Chitrakoot,” the CM added.
“Colleges are also being run for visually impaired, deaf and dumb and other children in different areas, but there is a need to increase their numbers. There should be trained teachers in it. They should get good honorarium, facilities and training,” he said.
“In 2017, only 7-8 lakh ‘divyangjans’ in the state used to get a monthly pension of ₹300. We increased it to ₹1,000 per month. Now, around 11 lakh differently-abled are getting the pension benefits,” Yogi added.
“Also, differently-abled suffering from leprosy are receiving ₹3,000 monthly pension. It has also been decided to provide them housing facility under PM/CM housing scheme,” the CM said. He said there is also a provision of 4% reservation for persons with disabilities in government services.
Talking about one Ramchandra Gupta of Kanpur Dehat, he said that despite being disabled, he is an example of self-reliance.
“He runs a big centre for children. This proves if there is will power, even the biggest work can be done. The best example of talent and energy of the disabled was the Paris Paralympics in which there was a flurry of medals due to the excellent performance of our para athletes,” the CM added.
“A provision of ₹40 crore has been made for free travel of the disabled in the roadways buses. For marriage (couples with 40 percent disability), an assistance of ₹15,000 is provided if the husband is disabled, ₹20,000 for the wife and ₹35,000 if both are disabled,” he said.
A grant of ₹20,000 is being given for shop construction and ₹10,000 for running a shop, kiosk and hand cart,” Yogi added. Besides, he said, many programmes are being run by the state government for the differently-abled.
“Monetary support for various types of surgeries has been increased from ₹8,000 to ₹10,000. An amount of up to ₹6 lakh has been given for distribution of artificial limbs besides cochlear implant surgery of deaf and dumb children. Twenty-four such surgeries have been done in Uttar Pradesh this year,” he said.
The CM also appreciated a performance by the students of Government Sparsh Girls School. State ministers Narendra Kashyap and Sanjeev Gond, chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and Dr Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University vice chancellor Prof Sanjay Singh were prominent among those present on the occasion.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath feted exceptional “divyangjans” at an event in Lok Bhavan on Tuesday. He also recognised the efforts of those working tirelessly for the upliftment of the differently-abled.
As part of the event, Yogi distributed assistive devices to 40 “divyangjans” and tablets to 324 differently-abled students. The CM transferred scholarships worth ₹54.38 crore to over 2.53 lakh children from backward classes through direct benefit transfer (DBT).
Many talented “divyangjans” were presented with citations, prize money and tablets etc on stage. The CM also honoured many meritorious students for their academic achievements in the 2023-24 session.
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