14 LAKH PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
TO GET FREE APPLIANCES AND AIDS UNDER ADIP
10TH
PLAN ALLOCATION INCREASED TO RS.345.50 CRORE
More than 14 lakh
persons with disabilities would be covered under the Scheme of
Assistance to Disabled Persons, popularly known as ADIP, upto
2007. Over seven lakh beneficiaries have already been covered
under ADIP since 1997-98. Under the Scheme run by the Social Justice
and Empowerment Ministry, the aids and appliances are supplied
free of cost along with required surgeries to poor disabled persons
with a monthly income below Rs.5000/-.per month. Tricycles, wheel
chairs, hearing aids, braille instruments etc. are supplied under
the scheme.
The allocation for
the ADIP scheme under the 10th Plan has been increased
to Rs. 345.50 crore as against 9th Plan allocation
of Rs. 133.80 crore. The budget allocation has increased six-fold
from Rs. 9 crore in 1997-98 to 54 crore in 2002-2003, an indication
of the importance that the Ministry attaches to the Scheme. The
popularity of the Scheme can be gauged from the fact that three
crore rupees more than the budget allocation were spent during
the last financial year. The budget allocation for the current
financial year has fixed at Rs. 55 crore, one crore rupees more
than the last year’s budget allocation.
The objective of
the scheme is to eliminate some problems of daily living by the
persons with disabilities by making them available suitable, durable
and standard aids and appliances. These reduce the debilitating
impact of disability and enhance the possibility of learning and
economic potential of persons with disabilities. Red Cross societies,
Zila Panchayats, District Disability Rehabilitation Centres and
eminent NGOs in the field of disability have been active in implementing
the scheme. The implementing agencies are provided cent percent
non-recurring financial assistance.
