Former MLA Julakanti Ranga Reddy said that there was a need to bring pressure on the government to implement five per cent reservations for the disables in education and employment.
Addressing the two-day State conference on the National Platform for the Rights of Disabled (NPRD) held here on Sunday, Mr. Ranga Reddy said that nutritious food, better health services and protected water could help arrest the birth of children with disability.
Stating that about 98 per cent of the disabled were from poor families, he said that there were about 2.5 crore disabled in the country out of which 10.5 lakh were from the State.
Alleging that both the State and Central governments were forcibly acquiring lands from the farmers without implementing LA Act – 2013, Mr. Ranga Reddy said that the govt. had failed to come to the rescue of farmers. NPRD All India vice- president Nagara Raju said that the RPD Act- 2016 would provide protection for the disabled. He has also demanded that 5% of the budget in panchayats be allotted for the welfare of the disabled.
NPRD leaders G. Narasimha, Manikyam, general secretary Adivaiah participated in the programme.
