MANGALURU: Persons with disabilities (PwD) in Dakshina Kannada have opposed the state government’s decision to fix an annual income limit of Rs 32,000 to avail monthly pension and have urged the government to consider disability as a criterion for providing the pension.
In a press conference in the city on Friday, Sudharatna, a specially-abled representative of Sakshama DK district, said it is not easy for divyangs to meet each other or submit their grievances to the officials. “Many of us cannot even walk or communicate properly. Many are facing visual and physical health issues,” she said.
She further said that she used to receive a Rs 2000 pension every month for the last 10 years. “But now the pension has been discontinued for not having a BPL card. Even for treatment, I am forced to seek money from the family and be dependent on them.
I cannot walk and my brother looks after me. He too has a family to look after. We cannot fight for pension given our physical condition. We appeal to the government not to consider BPL or APL cards but provide pension to all divyangs,” she urged.
Sakshama DK district president Rajashekhar Bhat Kakunje urged the government not to make APL or BPL cards mandatory to avail the scheme. “The State government has stopped issuing pensions from April this year citing higher annual income of some of the beneficiaries. Many divyangs who had APL cards are not receiving pension,” he said.
He further said that divyangs’ parents struggle to meet the expenses for various therapies including speech and behavioural therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, etc. “Hence, denying pension by fixing an annual income limit will cause hardships,” he said.
Sakshama member Harish Mambady said that due to APL/BPL criteria, his daughter is denied a monthly pension and he urged the elected representatives to raise the issue in the assembly session.
