CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed the State government’s technical committee for formulation and monitoring of rehabilitation programmes for people cured of leprosy to ensure implementation of an ‘umbrella scheme’ notified last year.
The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice RK Pattanaik issued the direction while hearing a PIL filed by general secretary of State Leprosy Welfare Federation Bipin Bihari Pradhan for effective implementation of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP).
All three amicus curiae - advocates Gautam Mishra, Bibhu Prasad Tripathy and Pami Rath - pointed out to the court that the SSEPD had notified the ‘umbrella scheme’ for rehabilitation of cured leprosy persons through a resolution on February 23, 2021. However, the scheme is to be implemented, they submitted. They cited their visits to leprosy colonies in Puri and Baripada.
They suggested that the leprosy colonies at Jamunda, Katapali, Bargaon (Bargarh), Gandhipalli and Nehrupalli (Cuttack), Gandhi Nagar Colony, (Jajpur), Indra Ashram Kulemura at Beheramal (Jharsuguda), Saraswati Colony (Baripada), Durgapur-B Colony (Rourkela), Ramakrushnapalli, Jagannath at Bhubaneswar be taken up in the first phase of implementation of the scheme.
The Additional Chief Secretary, Health, who participated in the virtual hearing accepted the suggestion.