District Panchayat to distribute tri-scooters

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat will distribute motorised tri-scooters to the physically-challenged under a welfare project in its annual plan for 2011-12, on Wed

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat will distribute motorised tri-scooters to the physically-challenged under a welfare project in its annual plan for 2011-12, on Wednesday at a function to be held on Kanakakkunnu grounds.  Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will inaugurate the distribution of the scooters in the presence of Social Welfare Minister M K Muneer, Transport minister V S Sivakumar, Shashi Tharoor MP and K Muraleedharan MLA.

 At a press meet here on Monday, District Panchayat president Remani P Nair and vice- president Rufus Daniel said that Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat was one of the first local bodies to carry out such a welfare measure on such a large scale. While 116 physically-challenged would benefit from the project, the applications of another 86 people were being processed, Remani Nair said.

 In the first phase, however, only 30 people would be distributed tri-scooters. Among them, 16 are women. ‘’Our team of doctors will check out the ears, eyes and physical condition of the beneficiaries before they are chosen,’’ she said.

 The project is for beneficiaries in the rural areas. A tri-scooter costs ` 50,000 and under the general, ST and women categories, a total of ` 58 lakh has been set aside for the project.

The beneficiaries will be given free insurance, exemption from road tax and the licence procedures would also be done for them by the panchayat.

 The panchayat president said that the local body had spent 83.68 per cent in its annual development plan for 2011-12. While in 2010-11, expenditure in general category had been 36.41 per cent in 2011-12, it has become 86.64.

In SC/ST category, is 78 per cent and 61.24 per cent respectively. In total, while it was 45.70 per cent in the previous plan year, it is 83.68 per cent this time, she said.

 The spending of maintenance grant has been 61.29 per cent, while this was 59.95 per cent last year.

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