ATDSU presses for appointment of State Commissioner for disabilities
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, September 29 2013:
Pressing for appointment of State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities at the earliest possible, All Tribal Disabled Students' Union (ATDSU) has charged the State Social Welfare Department for not performing its duty.
In a statement, Kg.
Khamgonglung, Information and Publicity Secretary of ATDSU, pointed out that Social Welfare Department constituted the State Co-ordination Committee (SCC) on October 20, 2012 vide order No.11/3/97-S(SW)/Pt.II with Social Welfare Minister as Chairperson of the State Co-ordination Committee (SCC) for welfare of the persons with disabilities under section 13(1)(2) of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.The power and function of the Committee include to review and coordinate the activities of all Departments of the Government and other Governmental & Non Governmental Organisations which are dealing with the matter relating to persons with disabilities, to develop a State Policy to redress issues faced by the Persons with Disabilities, to device the State Government on the formulation of policies, programmes, legislation and projects with respect to disabilities, to review in consultation with donor agencies, their funding policies from the perspective of their impact on persons with disabilities, to take such other steps to ensure barrier free environment in public places, work places, public utilities Schools and other institution, to monitor and evaluate the impact of policies and programmes designed for achieving equality and full participation of persons with disabilities, to perform such other functions as may be prescribed by the State Government.
Moreover, the State Co-ordination Committee (SCC) is supposed to conduct meeting every six month to perform/execute the said power and functions as per section 17 of the persons with disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.But the State Co-ordination Committee (SCC) has not taken up any steps since its constitution and have remained defunct since then, ATDSU alleged.
It further pointed out that Social Welfare Department had advertised and invited candidates for recruitment/appointment of State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, vide advertise/notification No.18/2-3/2012-SW(D) dated 28/05/2013.But the concerned department has not been appointed State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities till date.
As a consequence, all the welfare programmes/schemes mean for persons with disabilities have been failed and not implement due to non-functioning of the State Co-ordination Committee (SCC) .
If the concerned authority does not take up necessary steps for appointment of State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities within a short period, ATDSU would be compelled to launch intense democratic agitation, Khamgonglung warned.