Aurangabad:
The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) commissioner and administrator Abhijeet Chaudhari said that the AMC has made a provision of Rs 17 crore in its current year's annual budget for the welfare of disabled persons.
As reported earlier, the state government has ordered the AMC to allocate some funds for the welfare of disabled citizens. Accordingly, the AMC decided upon granting scholarships to disabled school students, ex gratia to disabled persons, starting physiotherapy centres for them and implementing other welfare schemes for them.
The AMC's section concerned has received 1600 applications. The process of scrutinising them is underway. This will help understand AMC to know the exact number of disabled citizens staying in areas falling within the AMC limit and their total percentage in the city. Later on, they will be provided with different kinds of help accordingly.
The AMC has earmarked Rs 1 crore in the budget for the scholarships. The students will be given monthly scholarships. The civic body will also deposit Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000 (depending upon age criteria) per month in the bank account of adult disabled persons. If any disabled applicant has been shortlisted under the PMAY housing scheme then the AMC will provide financial help of Rs 25,000 each to him, said the administrator adding that the AMC has made a provision of Rs 50 lakh in the budget for it.
He added, “The AMC's health section will be starting two free-of-cost physiotherapy centres in the city. This would provide physiotherapy as per requirement. There are some disabled who have to undergo surgery. It will be done under various government health schemes, but the AMC will grant Rs 1 lakh to each patient for speedy health recovery.”
The other AMC plans include starting a reading room for blinds, developing Sensor Garden, and conducting various programmes to make them self-reliant through AMC's National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) section, said the civic chief.
Chaudhari also mentioned that the AMC is preparing the master list of all disabled beneficiaries. They will not have to make registration but will have to submit an income certificate and life certificate every year.