The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Ramps to be made mandatory in buildings

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 11, 2007
ePaper

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Ramps to be made mandatory in buildings

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: The Government will make it mandatory for all buildings, public and private, to be `barrier-free,' with provision for ramps and other facilities for persons with disabilities, Social Welfare Minister Poongothai Aladi Aruna said on Tuesday.

All buildings owned by the Government, private agencies and public places should be made disabled-friendly, the Minister told the Assembly, while replying to the discussion on the demands for her department. This would facilitate wholesome participation of the disabled in all walks of life. Dr. Poongothai also announced a slew of other schemes.

Providing additional information on the proposed welfare board for the disabled, she said the Bill would be introduced during this session. The Board, on the lines of the Construction Workers' Welfare Board, would streamline welfare schemes for the disabled and ensure that the benefits reached the target group. With enhanced allotment for schemes an institution that would coordinate all activities was essential.

A sum of Rs. 25 crore had been allocated in the budget to provide monthly maintenance grant for families of persons with serious mental retardation, irrespective of the income of the parents. The income-limit criteria for those who marry persons with disabilities to receive assistance had been done away with. Applications in this regard, pending over the years, and involving an amount of Rs. 20 lakh, would be processed soon.

Grants of Rs. 50 lakh had been approved to provide motorised tricyles to persons with orthopaedic disabilities. Special recruitment drives would be conducted to appoint persons to the posts reserved for the disabled in Government jobs (three per cent).

Following up on the announcement of providing three eggs to children as part of the midday meal scheme, the Minister said even smaller children — those who aged between one and two years — would be given an egg each day.

With anganwadis being renamed as child care centres, 4,707 new child care centres, inclusive of 1,539 anganwadis and 3,168 balwadis would be built during the year. A massive upgradation of child care centres was also on the cards, with a sum of Rs. 4.51 crore set aside for buying utensils and modernising the kitchens, Dr. Poongothai told the House. This year, a scheme had been drawn up to undertake a survey of trafficking in women and children for commercial sexual exploitation, she said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu