Here's what HP govt is planning to do for differently-abled people

Shimla, Jul 26: Himachal Pradesh government (HP govt) is set to bring in a comprehensive scheme for differently-abled people which will include imparting vocational and skill training for employment and loan and subsidy for self-employment, state minister Dhani Ram Shandil said today.

As an immediate measure to the proposed scheme, 750 differently-abled children up to the age of five years have been identified, who, following their medical examination, are being provided required aid and equipment, the state Social Justice and Empowerment Minister said here.

Speaking at the two-day workshop on 'Skilling and Employment - Persons with Disabilities', he said, as a social security measure, provisions of 'disability relief' allowance have been made for 44,378 differently-abled persons along with issuance of 'Disability Identity Cards' to over 79,000 such people.

The state government is also providing a grant of Rs 146 lakh to NGOs working for upliftment of the differently-abled Shandil said.

The government has made provision for scholarship to differently-abled students in all state-run institutions and 'disability relief allowance' is being given to persons having disabilities of 70 per cent and above, he said.

To provide skill training to the differently-abled, the government had set-up a special ITI at Sundernagar and three per cent seats have been reserved for disabled persons in all ITIs, the minister added.

PTI