Deplore Rs 250 increase in pension
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 7: Persons with disabilities staged a protest today, accusing the Omar-led Government of ignoring their concerns and failing to take adequate steps to ensure their rights to education and employment as mandated by law.
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Scores of protestors, under the banner of the J&K Handicapped Association, assembled at the Press Enclave and raised slogans in support of their demands, urging the Government to take note of their plight.
“We were hopeful that the Budget would bring some relief, but what has been done is next to nothing. We were told that Rs 3,000 would be given as a social security pension, but there has only been an increase of Rs 250,” said Shafiq Ahmad, one of the protestors.
He added that many children and others with disabilities have high support needs and an increase of merely Rs 250 serves no meaningful purpose.
The protestors said that under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, the Government is obligated to ensure access to education, employment, and other forms of support, including measures to improve accessibility-areas in which they allege the Government has failed.
“We also protested before Eid and were assured that our concerns would be raised in the Assembly, but when it was done, it felt more like a favour than a rightful representation,” they said.
They also claimed that Minister Sakeena Itoo had assured them they wouldn’t need to plead for their rights and that she would represent them and resolve their issues.
“Yet, throughout the Budget session, nothing was done. The Government has failed to take any significant measures to address our needs-be it education, employment, or even social security pensions,” said another protestor, Abdul Rashid, adding that they have been ignored for over a decade.
On the ongoing debate over reservation, which the Government is currently reviewing, the protestors said they had not been consulted or invited to present their concerns.
They demanded a special recruitment drive for persons with disabilities and immediate action on the reservation issue, including a meaningful engagement with their community.
The protestors also alleged that bureaucrats remain inaccessible to them and often make them wait for hours outside their offices.
Aggrieved protestors said the Government must listen to their demands and address their concerns without delay, failing which they would be compelled to intensify their protests.
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