HYDERABAD: Expressing surprise over the paltry allocation of Rs 10,000 to each district welfare officer to enable him/her to take care of the persons with disabilities (PWDs) during the lockdown, a division bench of the Telangana High Court (HC) on Friday directed the Telangana government to create a separate “Covid-19 disabled fund” to aid the disabled.
“What is the rationale behind such a meagre allocation? For a population of more than 10 lakh disabled persons, an allocation of Rs 10,000 is a pittance and the State has literally let these persons survive at the mercy of the donors. It is a sorry state of affairs where the State is ignoring the rights of disabled persons in the prevailing serious situation,” the bench said and directed the State government to submit a report regarding the fund allocation.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy, passed this order through a video conference in a PIL filed by advocate Shiva Ganesh Karnati. It posted the matter to May 29 for further hearing.