Members of the Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled Caregivers (TARATDAC) staged a protest here on Wednesday, demanding uniform monthly assistance.
“We want the Centre to fix the monthly assistance at Rs.3,000 for persons with 40 per cent to 79 per cent disabilities, and Rs.5,000 for persons with 80 per cent to 100 per cent disabilities,” said P. Jeeva, district secretary of the association. “At present, the monthly assistance amount varies from State to State,” he added.
Speaking about the poor facilities for the differently abled in Madurai, the protestors said toilets built for them in Periyar and Aarapalayam bus stands remained inaccessible. “The toilets remain locked or are maintained in a pathetic condition. We want the district administration to look into this issue and make the toilets accessible for all of us,” they said.
Nearly 200 people took part in the protest and demanded that the police should look into the death of T. Annadurai, a differently abled man who was found hanging from a tree in the city on June 9. “We suspect foul play in his death and refuse to believe that he had committed suicide. The State government should give compensation for his family,” they said. Similar protests were staged at 27 places across the State.
