Assam govt to set up separate directorate for Divyangs

Assam government has decided to set up a separate directorate for differently abled people, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Friday.

The government will also take action to address their grievances, Sonowal said when he met representatives of the Divyang (differently abled) organisations in his office here.

"We are committed to the holistic growth of Divyangs," he said.

The government has taken steps to pay Rs 1000 per month to all Divyangs as stipend and more such schemes would be taken up for their development, the chief minister said.

Replying to the demand of the organisations about the filling up the backlog vacancies in the government department for Divyangs, he said he has directed all departments to submit their backlog vacancy status to the Social Welfare Department for recruitment of Divyangs.

India's first ITI for Divyangs was set up by the state government at Barbarua in Dibrugarh district which shows the government's commitment towards development of the differently abled sections of the society, Sonowal said.

The government is looking for the exact number of Divyangs in every district from the administrations so that welfare schemes for them can be implemented in an effective manner, he said.

He urged the Divyang organisations to help the government in implementing the schemes for the benefit of the Divyangs by pointing out the deficiencies.

Sonowal said the state government has decided to set up a guest house in Guwahati for the Divyangs.

Social Welfare Minister Pramila Rani Brahma and others were present in the meeting.