Make all efforts to utilise funds meant for disabled:Par panel

Anguished over the lapse of funds allocated for the disabled people, a Parliamentary panel has asked the Department of Disability Affairs to make all efforts for full utilisation of its budget in this current fiscal.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment, in its report, also termed "unacceptable" the reasons given by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry for under-utilisation of funds.
"The Committee find these reasons unacceptable and are deeply anguished that the budgeted funds for the people with different abilities which were due to them as their rightful share, have been allowed to lapse," the report said.

Recommending the Department to make an all out effort for full utilisation of its budget worth Rs 611 crore in 2013-14, the Committee has also asked central ministries and government departments to be "sensitive" to the needs of disabled people.
"The Committee would like other Ministries/Departments to be sensitive enough to the needs of the Persons with Disabilities (PwD) and support the Department of Disability Affairs in its endeavour to achieve its laudable goals," the panel said.
The Committee also recommended that the Department should be "rechristened as the Department of Differently abled" and full sustained publicity be given to its programs so that the target groups avail the benefits.

For 2012-13, the department was given a budgetary allocation of Rs 548 crore, which was reduced to Rs 308 crore at the Revised Estimate stage.
The total expenditure incurred for the year was Rs 267.50 crore, which the Committee said was "less than 50 per cent of the allocated amount.