The customs duty cuts announced on “Braille computers, talking books, calculators and thermometers” have bewildered the disabled and those working with disability organisations. Reason: Most haven’t even heard of them.
“There is no such thing as a Braille computer. What we use are normal computers with Braille software, which is available for free,” says Lt.-Col. S. Sridhar, executive secretary, Blind Relief Association.
A. Nandi, programme officer of the All India Federation of the Deaf, has never heard of a talking calculator. “We distribute free hearing aids to the hearing-impaired, but since the aids we buy are all locally-made, import duty exemptions are of no use to us,” he says.
The excise duty cuts that will make cheaper artificial limbs, crutches, wheelchairs and implants for joint replacement, have also evoked a lukewarm response.
“We don’t use imported stuff at all and generally source our material from the government-run Artificial Limbs Centre in Kanpur,” says Gurpreet Kaur, orthotics and prosthetic engineer at Akshay Pratishthan.
Considering conservative estimates that put the number of disabled at 100 million, a lot more needs to be done. “More than tax rebates, we need accessibility to move around and I wish some more thought is given to that,” says Madhu Grover, director (administration), Spastics Society of Northern India.
{{/usCountry}}Considering conservative estimates that put the number of disabled at 100 million, a lot more needs to be done. “More than tax rebates, we need accessibility to move around and I wish some more thought is given to that,” says Madhu Grover, director (administration), Spastics Society of Northern India.
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