Mumbai activists on BMC's assistance for persons with disabilities: Dole for disability is meagre, need jobs

A blind musician Irshad Sheikh plays the flute at Dadar station. Representation pic/Ashish Raje

Sachin Tewade, 47, a visually impaired man from Bhandup, worked with the child helpline 1098 in Vikhroli from 2008 until last year when its contact centre in Vikhroli shut down after the governments announcement of a merger with the emergency response line 112. He will now be one of the thousands running around the city to avail the benefits under the recently announced Dharmaveer Anand Dighe Divyang Financial Assistance for those with 40 per cent or more disability.

Tewade has been searching for another job since September but has been unable to secure one as people are reluctant to hire him due to his age and 100 per cent visual impairment. He held a job for 15 years; many disabled individuals like him are not as fortunate.

"I have been exhausting my savings; we were not even compensated after losing our jobs. This scheme will be the only source of income for me and my family. Private jobs are beyond my reach and government jobs have certain age barriers" said Tewade.

Currently, he is getting his documents in order, which includes a life certificate he doesnt know how to procure. All this for a meagre sum of R18,000 every six months under the scheme, which also requires one to have an account with a nationalised bank, an Orange or Yellow ration card, and a blue or yellow UDID card. The process to procure UDID cards is long-drawn and convoluted and not many have it, which has been an issue the community has been raising since its establishment in 2017.

Advertising scheme

Mangesh Gaikwad, another visually impaired social worker, said he is trying to reach people from the visually impaired community through messaging apps like WhatsApp to tell them about the scheme. "It will take a long time until those who have keypad phones find out about it. When announcing such schemes, authorities need to make sure it is widely advertised," he said. He noted there are many in the same boat as Tewade who are jobless, and any such scheme can attract a large crowd only if there is enough effort to generate awareness.

While Nilesh Singit, a disability-rights activist with cerebral palsy, acknowledged the significance of even small cash handouts in the community, he noted that unemployment in the disability community deserves focus for a long-term solution. "But the amount [under the BMC scheme] is too little to be of much help. Rather, the money can be used to make infrastructure disabled-friendly," he said.

There is a lack of accurate data to estimate the population of disabled individuals in the city. A 2018 government survey suggests less than 0.24 percent of the citys population are people living with disability (30,388).

"That is highly inaccurate and there are a number of reasons for it, including hesitancy in revealing disability status in the family when surveyors arrive. One thing is certain, more than small cash handouts, the community needs a source of employment which requires great focus," said Dr Jitender Aggarwal, Founder and CEO of Sarthak Educational Trust, which particularly focuses on skilling and employment in the community.

"The education level in the community is also poor, and even the 2011 census reflects it, though the overall population data of the disabled in it is questionable. Four per cent of government jobs are reserved for the disabled community, but people are unable to secure them because of high educational criteria. Corporates need to be incentivised to hire people with disabilities on a Std X pass certificate," Dr Aggarwal noted.

Recognising widespread unemployment in the community, the state government had introduced a self-employment scheme for people living with disability. An e-rickshaw was to be disbursed for people to conduct their business. Tewade is one of the 45,000 applicants, about 44,000 of whom continue to be on the waiting list since March. While about 600 of those who did receive this vehicle are now complaining it is faulty, as highlighted by mid-day in a recent report.

What is the scheme about?

A sum of Rs 18,000 is disbursed every six months under the scheme. The amount disbursed under the scheme varies, depending on the severity of the disability. For the next five years, people living with disabilities under BMC jurisdiction can avail of a sum of Rs 6,000 to Rs 18,000. A provision of Rs 111.83 crore has been made for this purpose annually.

Rs 11.83cr
BMC's provision for the scheme