THE PHYSICALLY challenged persons under the banner of Momin Conference staged a dharna at district headquarters in Varanasi on Wednesday in support of various demands. They were demanding increase in pensions, scholarships, smooth distribution of loans for rehabilitation, medical assistance etc.
They said the government was providing Rs 150 per month as pension to the physically-challenged people, which was not sufficient. “It is difficult for the family members of the physically challenged persons to fulfill their basic needs.
Therefore the government should increase the pensions of the physically challenged upto Rs 1500 per month,” they said.
Presiding over the dharna, a physically challenged, Suman Singh said that government provided scholarships to students of different classes from Rs 25 to Rs 240 per month, which was very less to afford the expensive education. She demanded that the government should increase the scholarship to ensure proper academic facilities to the students.
Suman said that hectic process of getting loans under the self-employment scheme for the physically challenged was causing miseries for them. She further added that the government should ease the process of loaning otherwise it would become difficult for them to survive.