Guwahati: Pratibandhi Suraksha Sanstha Assam threatens protest on National Disability Day

Staff reporter

Guwahati: The Pratibandhi Suraksha Sanstha Assam (PSSA) has threatened to stage a protest on National Disability Day. The organization is demanding the state government fulfill its obligations towards people with disabilities. “Depriving us towards what we deserve, the ruling government should not deserve the power they possess,” the organization said.

PSSA secretary Nipen Malakar, in a press meet, said that the organization is fighting for the rights of people with disabilities, who are being deprived of their entitlements under the Right to Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Malakar pointed out that while people with disabilities in other states are enjoying their rights, those in Assam are being denied. 160,612 disabled people of Assam who were getting the benefits under the Deen Dayal Divyangjan Pension Scheme. However, these individuals have not received their monthly pension of Rs 1,000 for the past two years. The organization had previously staged a protest on October 5, where they submitted a memorandum in the presence of the Director of Social Justice and Empowerment, where he assured them that a high-level meeting would be conducted within 15 days to solve their problems.

Although a high-level meeting was held, there has been no progress on addressing the issues faced by people with disabilities. On November 2, a Commissioner Secretary-level discussion was held, where a memorandum was submitted to the Commissioner Secretary and the Chief Minister on November 4. The memorandum outlined 21 demands, including pension benefits, to get jobs in the 3556 backlog posts and also a 4% quota in all the upcoming government jobs, and other issues.

The organization has threatened the government to stage a protest on National Disability Day if their demands are not met. The protest aims to bring attention to the plight of people with disabilities in Assam and to push the government to take concrete actions to address their concerns.

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