CHENNAI: A writ plea has been made in the Madras High Court for a directive to the Tamil Nadu government to provide 25 percent more subsidy to women with disabilities for purchase of three-wheelers under the State-sponsored Amma scheme.
Justice K Kalyanasundaram directed the Registry to post it before the portfolio judge.
According to S Namburajan, secretary of Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently-abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC), the State government recently announced a scheme to empower working women with provision of two-wheelers under the Amma Two Wheeler Scheme on subsidy. As per the scheme, women with disabilities can avail retro-fitted three-wheelers. One lakh working women will benefit from the scheme. As four per cent reservation has been provided for those with disabilities, about 4,000 such women would be covered under the scheme.
The scheme will provide 50 per cent maximum subsidy on the cost of the vehicle or Rs 25,000, whichever is lesser.
The petitioner submitted that under Section 24 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, the quantum of assistance in similar schemes for the persons with disabilities should at least be 25 per cent more than the one given to others. But, in this scheme, no such provision has been made.
In this connection, the association had sent representations to the authorities on January 22 and February 5 to provide 25 per cent more subsidy to women with disabilities and to extend the time limit for submission of applications. As there was no response, the present petition.