CHENNAI: Demanding an increase in financial assistance for persons with disabilities (PwDs) and employment under the MGNREGA scheme, members of the Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC) staged protest in Chennai on Tuesday.
Protesters were detained by the police in marriage halls, while many others were placed under preventive detention in various districts to prevent them from reaching Chennai.
“The monthly financial aid for PwDs in TN starts from Rs 1,500, whereas in Andhra Pradesh, it begins from Rs 6,000. We want the state government to increase the amount on a par with AP Additionally, over one lakh applications submitted to the revenue and differently-abled departments are still awaiting approval,” said S Namburajan, state vice-president of TARATDAC.
The association also urged the government to ensure 100 days of employment to PwDs under the MGNREGA and revoke the recent order mandating eight hours of work. Namburajan said over 6,000 protesters were detained in halls without adequate water and toilet facilities.
The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled condemned the detentions, calling the move “insensitive.” “This action by the TN police is utterly reprehensible,” the organisation said in a statement.
The CPM also slammed the police’s alleged high-handedness in handling the protest.