International Day of PwDs: PwDs protest in Baramulla, seek implementation of RPwD Act, 2016

Baramulla, Dec 3: Scores of persons with disabilities on Wednesday staged a protest at Karyappa Park, Baramulla, on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, accusing successive regimes of neglecting their needs and pushing them into hardship.

The protesters said that despite repeated appeals, their issues continue to be overlooked.

President of the J&K Ittihad Handicapped Welfare Association, Farooq Ahmad, said their plight remains “unimaginable” as they struggle to survive on the existing pension of Rs 1250 per month.

He questioned how a person with a disability could manage a household on such a meagre amount.

“We have been demanding an increase in the monthly pension from Rs 1250 to Rs 4000 for several years, but there has been no headway,” Ahmad said.

He pointed out that under current government guidelines, a person with a disability becomes eligible for an increased pension of Rs 2000 only after reaching the age of 80, an age very few persons with disabilities attain due to health-related limitations.

Ahmad said that although the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, was passed with provisions for additional benefits, the law has not been implemented so far, leaving the community deeply disappointed.

Appealing for justice, he said that at a time when electricity bills alone exceed Rs 1500, and inflation continues to rise, there is an urgent need to revisit the act and ensure the disabled community lives with dignity and equality.

“We appeal to the Lieutenant Governor’s administration and the elected government to consider our demands so that we too can live a life of dignity,” Ahmad said.