National identity card for handicapped soon: Minister

A national identity card for the handicapped is on the anvil, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot said Tuesday.

"The handicapped people face difficulty because of multiple authorities giving the certificates... At times, certificate issued in one district is not valid in other," Gehlot said Tuesday.

"This universal ID-card for the handicapped will solve these problems. It will be done by March next year," he said.

He said there has been a 15 percent increase in issuing disability certificates since the new government took over.

The minister was addressing a press conference in the series of conferences being held by different ministries on completion of 100 days of the Narendra Modi-led government.

The ministry also plans to issue identity cards to beggars.

Asked about reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in private jobs, the minister said several stakeholders were involved in taking the decision and he was not in a position to reply to it.

"This is a matter under the DOPT, and other ministries and departments are also involved. The situation is not clear," he said.

Gehlot, listing the achievements of his ministry, said Rs.2,352 crore out of Rs.6,730 crore have already been spent in the financial year 2014-15.

The minister also said several new scholarship schemes have been introduced for persons with disabilities.