BHUBANESWAR: The Health and Family Welfare department has turned down the request of the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities department, which had sought inclusion of differently-abled persons in Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY). The Health department has clarified that the benefits given to beneficiaries under the health assurance scheme has been generalised and no specialisation has been earmarked for any category.
People having ration card either under National Food Security Act (NFSA) or the state food security scheme are automatically eligible for inclusion under BSKY. The department, however, intimated that health insurance facilities for persons with disabilities (PwDs) can be available on partnership basis with private insurance companies.
Similarly, the Housing and Urban Development department has also clarified that there is no special provision for inclusion of PwDs under Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY).At a recent interdepartmental meeting chaired by SSEPD secretary Bhaskar Jyoti Sarma, the officials of H&UD department explained that inclusion of beneficiaries under the central housing scheme are made on economic criteria and there is no special provision for PwDs.
However, it was decided to provide five per cent reservation as has been provided by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016 in allotment of kiosk/stall at newly constructed and vacated vending zones to PwD applicants as per the commercial terms and conditions as applicable under the programme.
After detailed discussion by the representatives of Revenue and Disaster Management department, it was decided that landless eligible PwDs will be provided with homestead land on priority basis most preferably adjacent to their current location of activity under Vasundhara scheme.
“As there is no target at present available under the scheme for PwDs in the state, the Odisha Bikalanga Manch has been asked to recommend the names duly approved by the collector of the districts concerned. It has also been prioritised to look into the matter at each village level,” said an SSEPD department official.
The secretary asked all departments to make provisions for easy access to public buildings by the PwDs after it was ascertained that ramps and wheelchair facilities are unavailable in most of the public buildings.
It has also been decided to cover all eligible PwDs in rural and remote areas of the state under different schemes being implemented by Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water department.