HYDERABAD : T h e Vika l a angul a Ka a r y a Sankalpam (VIKASAM), a special cell formed by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to cater to the needs of the differentlyabled citizens, has come up with a unique procedure to keep track of the needs of every disabled individual living in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy.
A multi-purpose identification card will be issued as part of the programme which will enable the beneficiary to not just avail of government benefits, but also register to be notified for free government schemes, as and when necessary.
“The first phase of the programme is going to be initiated very shortly.
Each of the 18 circles will have a special officer who will track the disabled persons in their area and register them with the GHMC.
Details such as income, pension, livelihood, skill development required, self-employment opportunities, equipment aids etc will also be entered into the database upon registration,” said Dr M Krishna Chaitanya, Senior Specialist in Disability Welfare, who’s involved with the project.
With such data available, the GHMC can formulate custom schemes for every person, and the benefits will reach every underprivileged citizen within the corporation limits, he added.
The ID card will also serve as bus/train concession pass and can be used for other central and state government sponsored concessions as well.
“We have set a target that each circle officer should look to register atleast 500 disabled persons per month.
Thus with 18 such officers, the work will be completed within a time span of six months,” explained Chaitanya.
Currently staffing for the same is taking place, and once the budget is passed, the programme will be launched.
According to official data recorded in the pension list, there are 26,390 disabled persons under GHMC (Hyderabad plus Ranga Reddy), with 17,000 living in Hyderabad alone.
On adding even those persons who have been left out of the pension list due to non-BPL status, and those who are homeless, the figures are in excess of 40,000.