100% disabled Patiala youth gets a mere Rs 750 per month

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 18

Twentyone-year-old Gursewak Singh, who is 100% disabled, is at the receiving end of the years-old “faulty” policy of the government to provide financial assistance to the disabled.

Father spends Rs1K per week on Gursewak’s catheter

Gursewak’s father, Krishan Singh, who is a goat herder, has to spend Rs1,000 per week to change the urinary catheter of the bed-ridden youth.

According to the existing policy, a financial help of Rs750 is provided to disabled persons, irrespective of the degree of disability. Whoever is disabled 50 per cent and above will get the same amount. Experts believe that financial help should be given to a beneficiary as per the degree of disability.

Gursewak, whose upper and lower limbs were completely paralysed in a road accident in 2018, is fully dependent on his mother for personal care.

The youth, who belongs to a poor family, is entitled to get only Rs750 per month as financial assistance from the government despite having been disabled 100 per cent.

He is finding it difficult to get the due treatment. Besides, his father, Krishan Singh, who is a goat herder, has to spend Rs1,000 per week to change the urinary catheter of bed-ridden Gursewak.

Gursewak wants to get treatment from New Delhi. However, he doesn’t have money at all. “I want to walk again and fulfil my dream to get into the Indian Army. But, we don’t have money to get even a balanced diet, as advised by the doctors.”

He said the government should revise the existing policy and base it on the degree of disability. “Many people who have disabilities only in one of the parts of the body get the same financial help while people like me, who can’t drink water by themselves, also get the same amount.” Meantime, it has been learnt that Gursewak is yet to get his pension.

Varinder Tiwana, District Social Security Officer, said: “The case has been approved and Gursewak will get financial help of Rs750 this month. There are no categories in the scheme based on the degree of disability. However, the government has already announced that it will increase the amount of financial assistance from Rs750 to Rs1500 per month.”