North Assam Divyang Association alerts on benefit loss for differently-abled

OUR CORRESPONDENT

TEZPUR: The North Assam Divyang Association has raised serious concern that a large number of differently-abled persons in Assam have been deprived of essential welfare benefits after the Dindayal Divyang Pension Scheme was merged with the Orunodoi Scheme.

Speaking to the media, the organization’s President Riaz Ansari and General Secretary Mridul Kumar Bora said that despite repeated appeals to the government, no effective action had been taken to ensure justice and equal opportunities for the differently-abled community. They alleged that even 79 years after India’s independence, the state’s Divyang population continues to face neglect and discrimination.

Until 2022, around two lakh differently-abled persons in Assam received Rs 1,000 per month under the Deendayal Divyang Pension Scheme. However, after its inclusion in the Orunodoi programme, only about 30,000 beneficiaries are currently receiving assistance. In Sonitpur and Biswanath districts alone, nearly 12,000 differently-abled persons remain excluded from Orunodoi 3.0, while many others who were previously listed have reportedly been removed.

The Association demanded that the government restore the Deendayal Divyang Pension Scheme and increase the monthly pension to Rs 3,000. It also urged authorities to release pending PMAY houses for differently-abled persons in Sonitpur and Biswanath and to establish a permanent rest shelter (Jironi Ghar) in Sonitpur for their welfare.

A memorandum outlining these demands was submitted to the President of India through Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi, urging immediate government intervention to address the long-standing grievances of the differently-abled community in Assam.

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