Government Considering Increasing 'Divyang' Categories To 19: Thawar Chand Gehlot

Jaipur: The government is considering a proposal to increase the number of categories of physical disabilities from seven to 19 to enable more such people to avail facilities under various schemes, Union minister Thawar Chand Gehlot has said.

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 in Jaipur.

"The government is considering a proposal to increase the number of divyang categories from the present seven to 19," Mr Gehlot said on Tuesday.

According to a government order, 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 has come 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.

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Mr 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 the purpose.

"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' ones within this year," he said, adding 100 government building have been chosen under the plan.

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The campaign aims at ensuring ease of access of people with disabilities into government buildings, public transport as also in the area of information technology.

Rajasthan Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Arun Chaturvedi urged Mr 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.

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He said that a survey is being conducted in the state to identify people with disabilities, following which they will be given ID cards which will help them avail benefits of schemes anywhere in the country.