National Resource Kit: The Gujarat Chapter (Call for Comments)

Executive Summary

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment is responsible for the welfare of persons with disabilities in Gujarat. The state has an estimated population of 1,045,465[1] persons with disabilities in a total population of 60,439,692[2]people. Gujarat has issued two resolutions under General Entitlements, four schemes under Women & Children with Disabilities, three schemes under Education, one resolution under Skill Development & Employment and seven schemes under Social Security, Health, and Rehabilitation & Recreation.

General Entitlements

The office of the police commissioner of Surat has circulated guidelines within the department for handling persons with mental illness moving unescorted in public places.[3] The guidelines require that:

• The Police Inspector or senior Police Sub-inspector should directly deal with the person with mental illness.
• The details of the person should be entered in the records of the police station and a report made.
• The person with mental illness should be produced in the court of respective judicial magistrate with the report on the same day.
• If the person is ordered to be admitted in a mental hospital by the judicial magistrate, the person should be admitted to the facility immediately.
• In case of persons with mental illness who show excited or violent behaviour, the above process should be pursued with the help of the Forensic Science Department.
• Women police officers should be present mandatorily in cases where women with mental illness are involved.

The government has passed a resolution mandating the use of terms like disability and disabled while referring to persons with disabilities instead of terms like handicapped, physical handicap in all its official communication.[4]

Women and Children with Disabilities

The government of Gujarat provides assistance of Rs. 40,000 to widowed women with disabilities towards construction of a pukka house (brick, stone and cement house with terrace).[5] This assistance is available once only to women in the age group of 18 to 60 years. The upper limit of the grant is Rs. 50,000 for rural areas and Rs. 70,000 for urban areas. The government also provides grants to widowed women with disabilities in the categories of scheduled caste[6] and scheduled tribe separately.

Widowed women with disabilities fulfilling the following conditions are eligible to apply:

• Should have a minimum of 40 per cent disability.
• Should possess a plot of land for constructing the house.
• Should have resided for at least five years in the area where the house is to be constructed.
• Should not be in receipt of benefit under any other housing scheme and should give a written undertaking regarding the same.
• Should submit a certificate from a competent authority showing the date of death of her husband.
• Should possess a disability certificate and a disability identity card.

The Department of Panchayats and Rural Housing provides assistance for construction of residential units to widowed women with disabilities in rural Gujarat.[8] Under this scheme, assistance of Rs. 54,500 is provided to widowed women with disabilities. The grant also covers labour charges for construction of the residential unit.

Education

As the allowance provided by the central Integrated Education for the Disabled in Secondary Stage (IEDSS) scheme only covers students with disabilities studying in government secondary schools, the government of Gujarat provides additional scholarship for SC students with disabilities studying in Class IX and Class X in private unaided recognised schools.  Students are eligible for allowances as listed below:

Applicants should fulfil the following requirements:

• Should present the disability certificate from the competent medical authority of the state government.

• The total family income of parents or guardians should not exceed Rs. 2,00,000 per annum.

The scholarship will be paid for a period of 10 months in an academic year.

Students with disabilities belonging to scheduled caste[10] or schedule tribe[11] whose parents / guardians have a maximum annual income of Rs. 50,000 are eligible to receive scholarship from the government of Gujarat.

Skill Development & Employment

The government of Gujarat has passed a resolution that a 100 number roster will be maintained to provide three per cent reservation for persons with disabilities in direct recruitment. The vacancies of numbers 34, 68 and 100 will be reserved for persons with disabilities.

Social Security, Health, Rehabilitation and Recreation

The government provides financial assistance to persons with severe disabilities (80 per cent or more disability) jointly under the Sant Surdas Scheme of the state government and the central Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme.[13]

Under these schemes, persons with severe disabilities in the age group of zero to 17 years are eligible to receive assistance of Rs. 200 per month. Persons with severe disabilities in the age group of 18 to 64 years are eligible to receive assistance of Rs. 400 per month (Rs. 200 under the state scheme and Rs. 200 under the central scheme).

Persons with severe disabilities who are residents of Gujarat and who are below poverty line are eligible for assistance under this scheme.

Persons with disabilities living below poverty line and who are above 64 years of age are eligible to receive old age pension under the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme.[14]

The government of Gujarat provides persons with disabilities receiving pension under the Sant Surdas Scheme, Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme and Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme the option of receiving their pension in their bank accounts, post office accounts or on their doorstep through money orders.[15] Beneficiaries are required to indicate their preferred option to the payment officer in the prescribed format.

The government of Gujarat provides financial assistance of Rs. 4000 to state government employees with orthopaedic disabilities towards purchasing of foldable wheelchair.[16] This assistance is provided once to all employees with disabilities.

Persons with disabilities whose income is less than Rs. 25,000 per annum and who fall in the age group of five to 50 years are eligible for assistance from the government for purchase and fitting of aids and appliances for rehabilitation, and for purchase of educationally and vocationally useful equipment.[17]

This assistance is provided separately to persons with disabilities belonging to the scheduled caste[18] and scheduled tribe[19] categories.

Accessibility

The government of Gujarat is yet to implement schemes and policies towards accessibility.

Certification

The Social Security Department under the Social Justice and Empowerment Department issues disability identity cards for persons with disabilities with an income of not more than Rs. 2,50,000 per annum. Applicants should submit proof of income issued by the Namlatdar / Taluka Development Officer and two passport size photographs along with the application.[20]

Employees with disabilities serving with the government or with government aided organisations may submit certificate of income issued by the state / central government offices, government aided organisations and, boards and corporations functioning under the governments or panchayats as proof of income.

Documents such as ration card, true copy of electricity bill, municipal tax bill or receipt of house tax from the gram Panchayat, driving licence or voter ID card may be presented as proof of residence.

Schemes & Grants for Organisations & Individuals for Disabilities

There are no specific grants or schemes for organisations or individuals operating in the field of disabilities.

Disability Authorities

Gujarat has two authorities responsible for the welfare of persons with disabilities:

• Social Justice and Empowerment Department
• Commissioner for Disabilities.

[1]. http://www.socialjustice.nic.in/statewisedisabled.php.

[2]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarat.

[3]. The Office of the Police Commissioner, Surat, No. RB/Mentally Ill/4343/2010 Dated: 15. 03. 2010.

[4]. Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Secretariat, Gandhi Nagar Resolution No. apg/102010/337/chh-1 Dated: 30. 12. 2010.

[5]. Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Sachivalay, Gandhi Nagar Resolution No. APG/102007/N.B.21/Chh-1 Dated: 07. 07. 2008.

[6]. Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Sachivalay, Gandhi Nagar Resolution No. APG/102007/N.B.22/Chh 1 Dated: 31. 03. 2008.

[7]. Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Sachivalay, Gandhi Nagar Resolution No. APG/102007/N.B.20/Chh 1 Dated: 31. 03. 2008.

[8]. Department of Panchayats and Rural Housing, Secretariat, Gandhi Nagar. Resolution No. prch/102009/819/1 Dated: 30. 06. 2011.

[9]. Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Sachivalay, Gandhi Nagar. Resolution No. PMS/13/2012/405526/G Dated: 18. 06. 2013.

[10]. Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Sachivalay, Gandhi Nagar. Resolution No. APG/102007/N.B.9/Chh 1 Dated: 31. 03. 2008.

[11]. Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Sachivalay, Gandhi Nagar. Resolution No. APG/102007/N.B.10/Chh 1 Dated: 31. 03. 2008.

[12]. Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Sachivalay, Gandhi Nagar. Circular No. PVT/102012/138/ROSTER Dated: 18. 06. 2012.

[13]. Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Sachivalay, Gandhi Nagar. Resolution NO. APG/102009/No. 9 to 14/Chh-1 Dated: 13. 08. 2008.

[14]. Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Secretariat, Gandhi Nagar. Circular No. apg/102009/216(1)/chh-1 Dated: 31. 07. 2009.

[15]. Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Sachivalay, Gandhi Nagar. Resolution No. APG/102009/216/Chh.1 Dated: 03. 11. 2009.

[16]. Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Sachivalay, Gandhi Nagar. Resolution No. APG-102008-37-Chh.1 Dated: 13. 08. 2008.

[17]. Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Sachivalay, Gandhi Nagar. Resolution No. APG/102007/N.B.6/Chh.1 Dated: 31. 03. 2008.

[18]. Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Sachivalay, Gandhi Nagar. Resolution No. APG/102007/N.B.7/Chh.1 Dated: 31. 03. 2008.

[19]. Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Sachivalay, Gandhi Nagar. Resolution No. APG/102007/N.B.8/Chh.1 Dated: 31. 03. 2008.

[20]. Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Secretariat, Gandhi Nagar. Resolution No. apg/102007/1077/chh-1 Dated: 12. 05. 2008.