Pramod Madhwaraj, MLA, said on Tuesday that the Udupi City Municipal Council (CMC) would give priority to providing various facilities to the persons with disabilities.
He was speaking after distributing 14 tri-scooters to persons with disabilities at a function organised by the Udupi CMC here. He also handed over the keys of the tri-scooters to the beneficiaries.
Mr. Madhwaraj said that more than sympathy, persons with disabilities required opportunities. He had directed the CMC to give priority to providing facilities such as petty shops and milk booths to persons with disabilities in the city. “The intention is to see that they became financially self-reliant,” he said. Each tri-scooter cost Rs. 76,900. The CMC had spent Rs. 10.6 lakh on purchasing these tri-scooters. There was 100 per cent subsidy on the scooters, which meant that the beneficiaries were getting it free of cost, he said. He said that it was mandatory for the CMC to spend 3 per cent of the grants provided by the State government for the welfare of persons with disabilities.
Presiding over the function, P. Yuvaraj, CMC president, said that the CMC did not merely want to help persons with disabilities by providing tri-scooters. It also had plans to provide them with housing. If their houses did not have toilets, the CMC would also provide funds to construct toilets for them, he said.
