Karnataka needs to start monitoring the usage of funds disbursed to various organisations, address grievances betters, assess the working of the State executive committee, apart from setting up an equal opportunity cell and disability department in colleges, said Kamalesh Kumar Pande, Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.
He is in the city to review the implementation of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995, in the State.
While lauding the State for being the first to have a separate department for disabled persons in 1988, way before the Act was passed, he said, “Much more can be done to help the disabled in the State.” According to Census 2011 report, the population of disabled persons in the State is 13.25 lakh.
With reference to the Universal Disability ID project of the union government, he said Karnataka will be among 13 States to start the process in the first phase. “Bengaluru is among the cities chosen in the first phase of the Accessible India Campaign,” Mr Pande said.
He also said additional posts for Assistant Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner need to be created in the State. He met the State Chief Secretary in this regard.
Govindaraju, director, Directorate of Disabled Welfare and Senior Citizens with additional charge as State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities and Uma Mahadevan, Principal Secretary, Women and Child Development and Empowerment of Differently-abled, attended.
