Categories of 'divyang' may be increased to 19: Gehlot

Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot today said there is a proposal to increase the categories of physical disabilities from seven to 19 to enable more such people avail facilities under various schemes for them.
The Centre is working towards preparing various schemes not only for the social, economic developments of physically challenged people but also for their mental and physical betterment, the Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment said at a programme of Accessible India Campaign here.
He also said scholarships are being given to physically challenged students of pre-matric and post-matric level from 2014-15.
The government had decided that the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities will now be known as 'Divyangjan' Sashaktikaran Vibhag in Hindi, dropping the word 'viklangjan' from its previous nomenclature.

The development came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his radio address 'Mann Ki Baat' on December 27, last year, had said physically challenged people have a "divine ability" and the term "divyang" should be used in place of "viklang" for them.
Gehlot said hostels for physically challenged students will be set up in seven divisions of Rajasthan and the work would begin within three months once the state government allots land and 10 per cent of the funds for this.

"Jaipur is one of the 48 cities chosen in the first phase of the Accessible India Campaign under which it has been proposed that government buildings and public places will be developed into "fully accessible" within this year," he said, adding 100 government building have been chosen for this.

The campaign aims at ensuring ease of access for persons with disabilities in government buildings, public transportation and the information technology field.
Rajasthan Social Justice and Empowerment minister Arun Chaturvedi urged Gehlot to set up hostels for students taking coaching for competitive exams in Jaipur and Kota and also for physically challenged students in the state.
He also said that a survey is being conducted in the state to identify persons with disabilities, following which they will be given universal ID card which will help them avail benefits of schemes for them anywhere in the country.