thanks to raise such a relvent issue.
Half of the population have been shifted elsewhere due
to partition and so called development. Hightech
cities, special economic zone, shopping mall and
housing complexes have to desttle many more.
The government and policymakers seem to be interested
in the health of sensex. False growth rate and false
statics have become the economy of our country.The
polity and politics tend to destroy indigineous
production system.
The country is being vertically divided in Haves and
Have nots.
This issue must be discussed and a resistance force
has to be mobilised.
Palash Biswas
--- indumathi rao <cbrnet@airtelbroadband.in> wrote:
> Do we need a Ministry for Rehabilitation
>
> Dear All
>
>
>
> We are enclosing a view point which needs a public
> debate.We appreciate if this issue could be debated
> to mobilize public opinion on the same.
>
>
>
> Regards
>
>
>
> Indumathi Rao
> Former member National commission for persons with
> Disabilities,India
> Regional Adviser
> CBR NETWORK(South Asia)
> 134,1st Block,6th Main BSK III Stage,Bangalore
> -560085
> Phone-91-80-26724273,26724221
> E mail-cbrnet@airtelbroadband.in
> Website:www.cbrnetwork.org.in
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> A view point
>
>
>
> Do we need a Ministry for Rehabilitation?
>
> Disability issues are arbitrarily clubbed into
> "social justice and empowerment" which covers a
> gamut of issues concerning scheduled caste,
> scheduled tribes minorities, senior citizens which
> amounts to addressing the needs of more than 70% of
> the population. Consequently, people with
> disabilities comprising about 3% of the population
> receive lukewarm attention. Governments follow a
> political tradition while forming ministries based
> on the commercial viability rather than focusing on
> human rights. For example, we have ministers for
> fishery, textile; but we sadly lack a state level
> minister for issues concerning people with
> disabilities. For any ministry to be effective,
> separate state ministers are required to address the
> issues of millions of people with disabilities in
> India.
>
>
>
> There are innumerable policies and declarations
> India has signed. Biwako millennium framework,
> Salamanca declarations, UN standard rules, UNESCAP
> declarations and so on. Disability ACT that was
> passed in the winter session of the Indian
> parliament in the year 1995 also promised a better
> life to people with disabilities. There is a lot of
> talk in the air, but not everything at the
> grassroots is fair.
>
>
>
> While core national interests in diverse domains
> like defense, commerce, nuclear, finance, petroleum
> or HRD are determined by the relevant departments or
> ministries, the Ministry of Social Justice and
> empowerment only acts as a coordination agency.
> Though disability is a state subject as per Indian
> constitution, the situation at the state level is
> only a poor reflection of what is happening at the
> center.
>
> Rehabilitation is a term used for restoration of
> functions and living conditions .A broader
> perspective of rehabilitation is necessary in
> developing countries. In India the number of people
> who need temporary or permanent rehabilitation
> services is around 200 million people. (3-4% of
> population are people with disabilities and 8-10%
> are senior citizens who need some form of
> rehabilitation support and others who need
> rehabilitation). The word "others" gives a real
> picture of the rehabilitation need in India. People
> need rehabilitation when natural disaster strikes
> (Tsunami), post-war, terrorist attacks, ageing,
> illness and so on. To this list we need to add
> people who are born with disabilities, those who
> acquire disabilities because of epidemics, people
> who become disabled because of accidents, people who
> become disabled because of occupational hazards
> (Bhopal gas tragedy has left thousands of people
> disabled and even to this date children are born
> with brain damages).
>
> Government needs to have a separate ministry for
> rehabilitation as mere remedial measures during the
> crisis is expensive. For example when Tsunami struck
> there was no policy, strategy or resources for
> rehabilitation.
> Similarly, unscientific and impractical
> rehabilitation policies hardly help. Fore eg. a
> child who has hearing loss is eligible to get
> hearing free of cost only once in their life time.
> If they lose the hearing aid or break they have to
> live without one for the rest of their life. People
> who require wheelchairs are given tricycle! Wheel
> chair is a personal mobility aid whereas a tricycle
> is for children to play!
>
>
>
> Lack of understanding and unwillingness to learn on
> the part of the governments show she lack of concern
> to understand the real needs of people with
> disabilities. Welfare or charity based approached
> see people with disabilities as useless parasites to
> the society and need charitable measures. Whereas a
> development approach sees them as valuable members
> of society. Similarly, unspecific cut off points to
> define disability also needs serious attention. If
> you have lost one eye you are not disabled, you need
> to wait to lose both to become eligible for any
> rehabilitation benefit from the government!
> Rehabilitation support when a person has still one
> eye functioning, or low vision, or moderate hearing
> loss, or moderate mental retardation can help a
> person to become independent if some support is
> available to them.
>
>
> Today for Rehabilitation we have no exclusive
> minister or Secretary but a joint secretary heads in
> the ministry. The ministers and secretary do not
> have even the basic data on the situation of people
> with disabilities in India. They may have some
> quantitative data such as census figures but
> qualitative data base in not available at all. For
> example how many people are employed? How many women
> with disabilities have gainful jobs? How many of
> them live with families? How many children have no
> access to education? How well children who have
> access to education are learning? The list is
> endless in reality. Policies cannot be planned
> sitting in AC rooms without qualitative data. The
> official website says majority of rehabilitation
> services providers are NGOs. NGOs are happy to read
> this statement; but rehabilitation should be a
> government responsibility. Grant in Aid to NGOs is
> not the panacea to address issues concerning
> disability; neither centrally supported programmes
> such as District rehabilitation centers are the
> answer as they are fully funded by the central
> government without states contribution although
> disability is a state subject in the Indian
> constitutions. In a federal system unless and until
> state governments set up rehabilitation services
> through private and public partnerships(not grant in
> aid), the problem of lack of basic rehabilitation
> services will continue. There is a need for better
> trust and transparency while working with NGOs. Out
> of NGOs who provides rehabilitation strokes only a
> handful get financial support. This support is also
> given on the basis of Grant in Aid with no
> commitment form the government for the sustenance of
> services. Grant in Aid is like a lottery for most of
> the NGOs on which they cannot plan rehabilitation
> services. Government may stop grants any time with
> or without giving reasons, but NGOs are accountable
> to the community. This often makes us wonder about
> the lack of policies and programmes in the
> government to develop sustainable rehabilitation
> services to ALL person with disabilities in India.
> Economic issues are yet to acquire importance in
> rehabilitation policy, especially in the post UN
> Decade for Persons with Disabilities period. When
> economics overrides charity approaches these issues
> need to be politically packaged by an MFR which NGOs
> are unauthorized to do. For instance when Maneka
> Gandhi was minister for SJEM she said NGOs will be
> given grants only for a period of five years after
> that they must be self-sustaining. When NDA
> government was in poer they set up a National
> commission for persons with Disability which was
> support to work independently.But within three
> months when congress came into power the first thing
> that happened was closing this commission!!.The
> concepy of having a independent commission was
> aborted in the womb itself!
>
=== message truncated ===
palashcbiswas,
gostokanan, sodepur, kolkata-700110 phone:033-25659551
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