Rai criticizes BJP for neglecting the disabled

Rai criticizes BJP for neglecting the disabled

Mangalore, April 27: A. C. Rai, the president of the All India Banks’ Physically Handicapped Employees Welfare Federation, criticized the BJP-led state government for its failure to attend the inauguration of the south India conference of disabled people. CM B. S. Yeddyurappa, Transport Minister R. Ashok, Tourism Minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, and former minister Shobha Karandlaje were expected to attend the programme. 

Mr. Rai wanted to know how the chief minister cannot find time even when the schedule was fixed 2 months in advance after consulting his office. Saying that Transport Minister R Ashok was specially called to listen to the grievances of disabled people regarding special bus passes, he said that the BJP appears to be no better than the Congress and the Janata Dal (S), which did not do much for disabled people when they were in power. 

P M Narendraswamy, the minister for Women and Child Development, labeled Rai’s statements as “uncharitable comments.” He said that the BJP has done more for the disabled than any other government in the past. Claiming that the government had a number of schemes for the benefits of the disabled, he said that they will be announced within a month. 

A memorandum was submitted to the chief minister through Mr. Narendraswamy. The federation has demanded that 3 percent funds should be set aside in each government department for the welfare of the disabled. They have also demanded the immediate filling up of reservations for the disabled and the total scrapping of the rule that permits the disabled to travel only up to 100kms with the disability bus pass, allowing them to travel any distance they like with the pass. The memorandum also included a demand for people with 90 percent disabilities to be allowed to travel free of charge in government-owned transport systems. One of the MLCs elected must be a disabled person, said the memorandum.