Separate govt dept for differently abled

NEWDELHI: The Delhi government will create a separate department for the differently abled to streamline issues faced by them.

Currently, the government has a cell for differently abled people within the social welfare department, which too is plagued by staff crunch. Social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said that the process to open a new department for addressing grievances and expediting disbursal of scheme benefits to the differently abled has started.

“It will be a department exclusively meant for persons with disability in Delhi. It will be headed by an expert in the with experience. Right now, only those who have a basic Master’s in Social Work are dealing with such works. They do not have hands-on experience,” Gautam said.

This, he said, is resulting in a gap between the expectations of the differently abled citizens and the work that the government officials are being able to complete.

The move comes after the government received a number of complaints against officers of the social welfare department. There are delays in issuing pensions for the differently abled. Many of them have to make several rounds of our office just to get a certificate made.

“It has been seen that these people are facing a lot of problems in getting access to various government benefits. Also, there is an acute lack of awareness among the differently abled about their rights and entitlements. This team would work towards empowering them and ideating more avenues for them,” the minister said.