Differently-able persons stage protest

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, March 2: The Protibondhi Suraksha Sanstha (PSS), Asom staged a demonstration in front of the office of the Directorate of Social Welfare Department at Uzan Bazar today in protest against the failure on the part of the department to release their arrears unemployment allowance within February as had been promised.

At a meeting with Social Welfare Minister ba Kumar Doley on January 6 the Sanstha had got a written assurance from the Director of Social Welfare Department that the arrears allowance for unemployment would be released by February. It was followed by another meeting with Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal, in the presence of Doley and the Chief Secretary and other officials of the Department. Doley was on record asking the Chief Secretary to speed up the process for meeting the demands of the Sanstha. February has already been elapsed, the amount has not been released as yet, and that prompted the Sanstha to stage the demonstration today.

In fiscals 2015-16 and 2016-17 the unemployment allowance for differently-able people was Rs 6,000 per head per year.

When the Director failed to turn up within 1 pm, a time set by the Sanstha, the Sanstha members started to move towards Dispur when the police prevented them from going ahead. There was scuffle at that time. The Sanstha members then started to stage protest on the road.

After 2 pm, Social Welfare Director Meekshi Sundaram arrived in the office and told the Sanstha that the list of beneficiaries for unemployment allowance has already reached the bank. He also assured the Sanstha that talks for the filling up of around 3,800 backlog posts reserved for differently-able persons till 2013 will held with various departments.