MARGAO
Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao on Thursday made an impassioned plea to officials of the Social Welfare Department to streamline the medical certification so that more differently abled people can avail benefits of the schemes.
Speaking at a camp organised at Benaulim, where various devises and implements were distributed to the differently abled, the MLA said many a time differently abled persons do not get the benefit of the schemes due to the cumbersome procedures. “We need to streamline the system, especially when it comes to medical certification. I have got instances wherein persons with disabilities have returned home disappointed just because the medical authorities refused to categorize them as differently abled”, he said.
Churchill said the authorities should be lenient in certifying persons with disabilities so that more and more persons can avail the schemes.
Deputy Director, Social Welfare Haffiq said a survey conducted by the department has put the number of differently abled persons in Goa to 2,259. He said around 10,000 equipments and implements have been distributed in the last few months.
To a question, Haffiq said the Unique Disability Identity number has helped the beneficiaries to avail benefits of the scheme without much difficulty.
