Rs 30 crore for empowerment of disabled

Porvorim: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Friday allocated Rs 30 crore — of which Rs 1.5 crore has been earmarked for capital expenditure — for the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities, announcing new schemes for their empowerment.

He announced the ‘equivalence certificate for Class X for persons with intellectual disabilities’ to grant a Class X equivalent grade to individuals on completion of three years of structured training. He said this will open up avenues for skill development and employment in their future.


He also announced a new scheme, Divyaang Kaushalya Yojana, for people with disabilities above the age of 18, who will be given admission to workshops and imparted skill-based training to lead independent lives through employment.

Another new scheme, titled, ‘Samatva Yojana’, will provide high-functioning modular orthopaedic and prosthetic limbs to restore full autonomy to persons with disabilities.

“Under this scheme, modular artificial organs will be provided to persons with disabilities at a cost of between Rs 30,000 and Rs 1 lakh,” he CM said in his budget speech.

Sawant, who holds the state’s finance portfolio, also proposed the setting up of a home for persons with disabilities with the help of a non-governmental organisation. Apart from this, he also proposed the creation of a barrier-free environment for persons with disabilities at a prominent place in the state.