GUWAHATI, Feb 12 � Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot today said that the Centre is contemplating relaxing the criteria for obtaining disability certificate across the country.
The Union Minister said, �As per the existing rule, only a person with at least 40 per cent disability can claim or avail the benefits of the welfare schemes of the disabled. But we are contemplating to relax the norm. We also wish to introduce online delivery of such certificates.�
Gehlot also said that the Centre is committed to introducing more welfare schemes for the scheduled communities of the North East.
The Union Minister also assured that additional funds would be pumped in for the region to cater to the educational and economical needs of the disabled.
Talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the �Conference of Ministers in Charge of Social Welfare etc., of North Eastern States, the Union Minister announced a financial package for training, hearing aids, other equipment and books for differently abled, besides fund allocation for infrastructure development of composite regional centre.
�North East is an integral part of India and the pace of development of the region should be as much as it is in the other parts of the country,� he added.
Earlier, speaking at the conference, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi advocated social justice to bring differently abled people to the mainstream of development and pitched for reducing the level of disability from the existing 40 per cent to 20 per cent.
The Chief Minister said, �We always consider differently abled people as our assets and not liabilities. We are committed to taking schemes and policies to ensure their welfare.�
He further said that there was a need for setting up a national institute for imparting the right kind of education to the differently abled people and universities and colleges ought to incorporate courses in their curriculum for their development.
Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar also shared his experience on the occasion.
State Minister for Scheduled Caste Welfare Basanta Das, Minister of State for the Welfare of Backward Classes Bismita Gogoi, their counterparts from other Northeastern states and top officials of concerned departments were present at the conference.
