Odisha likely to conduct fresh disability census

With the Centre contemplating to broaden the criteria for persons with disabilities (PWDs), Odisha Government is likely to start a fresh enumeration of PWDs within a few months.

BHUBANESWAR: With the Centre contemplating to broaden the criteria for persons with disabilities (PWDs), Odisha Government is likely to start a fresh enumeration of PWDs within a few months. The Centre is currently reviewing the proposal to include 22 additional disabilities apart from the existing eight conditions.

The Government will begin the enumeration process from the Capital City. As part of the initiative, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) in association with Department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disability (SSEPD) and State Institute for Disability Rehabilitation on Friday launched ‘Bhima Bhoi Samarthya Sibir’, a camp to enrol, enable and empower PWDs in the City.
PWDs registered themselves for the Unique Identity for Person with Disability (UDID) cards under ‘Swabalamban’ Scheme at the camp. The UDID for PWDs covers blindness, cerebral palsy, low vision, locomotor disability, leprosy-cured, mentally retarded, mentally ill and hearing impaired. The Department targets to enrol at least 3,000 PWDs at the camp which will end on Saturday.

Sources said the number of PWDs in the Capital City would rise significantly, from 30,000 to around 50,000, if the proposal to include more disabilities is approved by the Centre. Their number would reach upto one lakh if the new criteria are included as NGOs working for PWDs rehabilitation stated that there is a huge gap between official figures and actual number of PWDs in the City.
Director SSEPD Manasi Nimbhal said the UDID Card will streamline the tracking system of physical and financial progress of beneficiaries at village, block, district and State levels.
Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) Vice-Chairman Krishan Kumar said by-laws will be amended very soon to make the accessibility clause a must for all public buildings.
An awareness session on the recently constituted Autism Appellate Medical Board was also held at the camp.
Among others, Tourism Minister Ashok Panda, Mayor AN Jena, MLA (North) Priyadarshi Mishra and SSEPD Principal Secretary Niten Chandra were present.

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