Maha cabinet approves Rs 25 crore for Divyangs

In a move that will benefit around 650 Divyang (differently-abled) people in the state, the Maharashtra cabinet Tuesday gave its approval to provide Rs 25 crore aid to them as part of a scheme, officials said.

Each Divyang person will get a financial help of Rs 3.75 lakh to purchase eco-friendly vehicles and start mobile vehicle shops, an official said.

"During its meeting held today, the cabinet approved funds to the tune of Rs 25 crore for the financial year for this purpose and around 650 persons with disabilities are set to benefit from the scheme," they said.

The decision is aimed at making the differently-abled persons financially independent, they said.

An official of the Social Justice Department said in order to avail the benefits of the scheme, a person should have a disability of more than 40 per cent.

A committee would be formed under the chairmanship of the managing director of Maharashtra State Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation.

The committee will scrutinise the applications of Diyvang persons and the corporation will implement this scheme.

According to him, one of the criteria for selection of the applicant for this scheme is that the annual income of the family should be below to Rs 2.5 lakh.

According to estimates, there are around 30 lakh Divyang people in the state.

The state government had announced this scheme in the budget. Its main aim is to rehabilitate Divyangs socially and financially by providing them self-employment.

The mobile shops can be used for selling of eatables and retail grocery shops.

The beneficiaries can themselves take a loan for business purpose. Advanced Online System, GPRS, Software Monitoring, Live tracking will be used to monitor the shops, he said.

The cabinet also decided to convert Pune's famous Fergusson College into Fergusson University. The academic year of this university will start from 2019-20.

The decision is aimed at upgrading the quality of education and add skill-oriented courses to keep pace with globalisation.

The state cabinet also decided to include retired police sub-inspectors, constables, police naiks and poice sepoys in the state government's health insurance scheme- Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana.

"Police have to work under immense pressure to maintain law and order, and face health complications as a result. Therefore, sub-inspectors and other police personnel below that post will be included in the scheme," a government release stated.

The state government pays Rs 2,000-odd crore annually for insurance premium under the scheme, which is applicable for the below poverty line (BPL) and above poverty line (APL) ration card holders.