Schemes and Facilities for Disabled Persons in Punjab A Complete Guide

Living with a disability in Punjab can be tough, but the Punjab Government offers many helpful schemes and facilities to make life easier.

However, many of us are not aware of these resources, and that can make it hard to take advantage of them.

In this article, we want to share with you all the schemes and facilities that the Punjab Government provides for people with disabilities.

We’ll go through everything so you can get a clear understanding of what’s available to you.

Take a moment to read through this article and discover the support and opportunities you might not know about.

These schemes are here to help improve your life, and we want to make sure you have all the information you need to benefit from them.

Census Data on Disabled Persons in Punjab

As per the Census 2011, here are the key figures about Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in Punjab:

• Total Population of the state: 2.77 crore

• Disabled Persons: 6.54 lakh

• Percentage of Disabled Persons to Total Population: 2.35%

Out of these 6.54 lakh disabled persons, 3.76 lakh have received disability certificates. In 2016-2017, 57,713 new certificates were issued.

Government Provisions for Disabled Persons in Punjab

The Punjab Government has introduced various schemes to improve the lives of disabled persons in the state. Some of the key provisions include:

1. Health check-ups: All children born in government hospitals, enrolled in Anganwadi centers, and schoolchildren are given regular health check-ups. Disabled children are identified and referred to hospitals for further care.
2. Early Intervention Centers: These centers have been set up in five districts: Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Rupnagar, and Tarn Taran, to help children with disabilities as early as possible.
3. Health Education Camps: These camps focus on educating people about general hygiene, nutrition, vaccines, and other important health topics like the importance of iron and folic acid during pregnancy.

Educational and Financial Support

• Scholarships for Children: There are 96,186 disabled children in schools across Punjab. The government provides scholarships—Rs. 200/month for children up to 8th grade and Rs. 300/month for those in 9th to 12th grade. Disabled children are also entitled to free education up to 12th grade.
• Braille Press: The government runs a Braille press in Ludhiana to print Braille books for visually impaired students up to the 10th grade. The Government Institution for Blind in Jamalpur offers free education, boarding, and lodging for 60 students.
• Financial Assistance: The government provides Rs. 500/month to PwDs, in addition to Rs. 300/month from the central government. 1.49 lakh PwDs in the state benefit from this financial assistance.
• List of national institutes for disabled person

Skill Training and Employment Opportunities

• Vocational Training: The state has set up 3 Vocational Rehabilitation Centres in Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, and Ludhiana to offer training in skills such as computers, stitching, tailoring, embroidery, and stenography. In addition, the Sarthak Educational Trust, an NGO, provides skill training.
• Special Employment Exchange: A special employment exchange has been established in Ludhiana for PwDs, with 776 unemployed PwDs registered. They receive unemployment allowances after two years if they do not find a job—Rs. 450/month for those with up to 12th standard education, and Rs. 600/month for those with qualifications above 12th standard.

Housing, Urban Development, and Rural Benefits

• Housing Benefits: The state offers 3% reservation for PwDs in the allotment of plots/flats and gives a 5% discount on plot prices. There is also a 3% reservation for booths in Rehari markets.
• Rural Development: PwDs are eligible for benefits under various rural development schemes like IAY, MGNREGA, and the State Rural Livelihood Mission, with a 3% quota reserved for them.

Government Jobs and Other Benefits

• Government Jobs: PwDs are entitled to 3% reservation in all government jobs, along with a 10-year age relaxation for job appointments. The state has also identified 1,647 vacant posts for recruitment.
• Travel Benefits: PwDs enjoy 50% off on bus fares in government buses, and visually impaired individuals can travel free of charge.

Disability Sports Center and Community Homes

• Disability Sports Center: The state has allocated 10 acres of land at Zirakpur to build a Disability Sports Center, and another 5 acres for a Composite Regional Centre for PwDs. In the meantime, a temporary 4,000 sq. ft. space in Mohali is being used.
• Community Homes: The government runs 3 Community Homes in Ludhiana, Amritsar, and Rajpura for mentally retarded persons, where they are provided free accommodation, healthcare, and education. These homes are available to those whose families earn less than Rs. 36,000/year.

Spinal Injuries Center

• Spinal Injuries Center: A Spinal Injuries Center has been set up in Mohali, covering 5 acres. It provides treatment, surgeries, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation for patients with spinal injuries. So far, over 1.67 lakh patients have been treated, including 72,295 who received physiotherapy and 988 who underwent spinal surgeries.
  

  Address:

  Department of Social Security & Development of Women & Children
  SCO: 102-103, Sector 34A, Behind Piccadilly Mall, Chandigarh.

  Telephone: 0172-2608746, 2602726
  Fax: 0172-2664533

  So, this is all the information about the Schemes and Facilities for Disabled Persons in Punjab provided by the Punjab Government, and all the data has been taken from the Punjab Govt Website. We hope you found this helpful. Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section.