Buildings, transport to be made disabled-friendly in Punjab

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 18

The Punjab Cabinet today approved the ‘Punjab Divyangjan Shaktikaran Yojana’ to provide a barrier-free environment to persons with disabilities by making government and public-centric buildings, public transportation and websites accessible to them.

The scheme also aims at clearing the job quota backlog for persons with disabilities under the state employment plan. Minister for Social Security, Women and Child Development Aruna Chaudhary said the aim was to enrol all persons with disabilities for the unique disability IDs so that they could benefit from 30 existing schemes and programmes. Only 1.17 lakh have the IDs so far.

As per the 2011 census, in Punjab, of a population of 2.72 crore, there are 6.5 lakh disabled persons — 3.79 lakh (58 per cent) males and 2.74 lakh (42 per cent) females. The number of disabled persons is the highest in the age group of 20-29 (1.17 lakh). A majority (20 per cent) of disabled persons have the disability in movement, 12.6 per cent visual disability and another 22.4 per cent disability in hearing.

In the first phase, the focus would be on strengthening the existing programmes to ensure that their benefits reach the persons with disabilities, while in the second phase, 13 new interventions are proposed for the empowerment of such persons.

Critical posts in Amritsar & Patiala GMCs okayed

To cope more effectively with the Covid-19 pandemic, the Cabinet gave approval for the creation of 16 posts of assistant professor (super specialist) in the departments of cardiology, endocrinology, neurology and nephrology of Government Medical Colleges of Patiala and Amritsar. The nod also given to temporary conversion of 25 vacant posts of direct quota of super-specialist professor and associate professor to assistant professor on contract basis and filling of 168 posts of technicians in various paramedical cadres in these two government medical colleges.

Single-window to boost telecom infra

The Cabinet has approved new guidelines under a single-window policy for speedier permissions for installation of telecom towers and 'right of way' clearances for laying optical fiber cable. It has also enhanced the period for validity of permissions from existing 10 years to 20

Agri education Act deferred to June 2021

It was decided to defer the implementation of the Punjab State Council for Agricultural Education Act, 2017, till June 30, 2021. The main objective of the council is to specify the minimum standards for agricultural education and training to be followed by colleges/universities in the state.

Remuneration of OSDs (litigation) hiked

The Cabinet has given its nod to the 20 per cent increase in the fixed remuneration/retainership fees payable to OSDs (litigation) from Rs50,000 to Rs60,000.