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Srinagar, Mar 7: The Jammu and Kashmir Government will conduct a survey of all the physically challenged people in the state to evolve a proper scheme aimed at improving their financial condition and enabling them to sustain themselves, officials said today (Mar 7, 2006).

They said the Directorate of Health Services and the Directorate of Social Welfare would jointly conduct the survey of all the people who are blind, deaf, dumb or suffer from any other orthopaedical deformity and disability.

''The objective of the survey is to collect the data of the physically challenged people so that proper plan and scheme is formulated and devised for improving their physical and financial condition to enable them to sustain themselves independently,'' the officials added.

The Directorates, through print advertisements, have asked all the disabled people to register themselves with their respective District Social Welfare Officers after getting the required disability certificate from the Chief Medical Officer of the area concerned.

The officials also said that the national family benefit scheme is under implementation in the Social Welfare Department of the state.

''Under the scheme, a one time financial assistance of Rs 10,000 is given to the widows and destitute families whose sole earning member dies,'' they added.

The Directorate of Social Welfare has also asked all the widows and destitute families whose sole earning member had died recently to immediately register themselves with their respective District Social Welfare Officers.

The departments have also urged the general public to help in identifying the physically challenged people, widows and destitute families.

The public should educate and inform the disabled people to get themselves registered with the Social Welfare Department, the officials said.

UNI