CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed the Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SS&EPD) department to set up a monitoring committee with the Secretary of the department as the convener to ensure proper implementation of the works and schemes for rehabilitation of cured leprosy patients in 13 colonies in the State.
The court’s directions related to rehabilitation programmes for cured leprosy persons to ensure implementation of the ‘umbrella scheme’, which the SS&EPD department had notified through a resolution on February 23, 2021. The ‘umbrella scheme’ included programmes for their daily needs of care and treatment, skill development and rehabilitation of the cured leprosy patients.
The 13 colonies where the HC directed for implementation of the scheme included Dharabani Leprosy Colony, Bapuji Leprosy Colony and the Sanjayjee colony in Puri district, Lewis Colony in Baripada, the leprosy colonies at Jamunda, Katapali, Bargaon (Bargarh district), Gandhipalli - Nehrupalli (Cuttack), Gandhi Nagar Colony, (Jajpur), Indra Ashram Kulemura at Beheramal (Jharsuguda district), Saraswati Colony (Baripada), Durgapur-B Colony (Rourkela) and Jaganath Leprosy Colony at Bhubaneswar.
The PIL was filed by General Secretary of State Leprosy Welfare Federation Bipin Bihari Pradhan for effective implementation of NLEP.