Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Monday said some ministries will have separate allocations in the upcoming budget for persons with disabilities.
Responding to a demand of a delegation of Parliamentarians’ Caucus on Persons with Disabilities, he said it might be possible next year to introduce the allocations for them under different ministries.
The ministries have provisions for such allocations but those must be defined, he said.
The finance minister was holding a pre-budget meeting with the caucus members and members of the National Forum of Organisations working with the persons with disabilities at the Finance Ministry.
Muhith, however, rejected a plea of the forum members to introduce a provision for special legal assistance for the disabled people. “When we are not able to provide legal aid to overall (common) people, how could we provide legal assistance to a particular section,” he said.
Convener of the Parliamentarians’ Caucus and former Law Minister Abdul Matin Khasru led the delegation that also includes five members of parliament (MPs), including former Home Minister Rafiqul Islam and Shirin Akhter.
The caucus members and forum leaders placed an 18-point demand for ensuring proper support for the disabled people and autistic children to improve their condition.
The demands include establishment of a institute for sign-based education for education of disabled people, educational training centres at each upazila and disabled sports complex, supplying of educational instruments and books at the beginning of the academic year, taking programmes for their self-employment and increasing budgetary allocations for the disabled people for their monthly financial support.
The finance minister said the government will complete the ongoing survey on the persons with disabilities. He also said the proposed sports complex will be established this year as it was a commitment of the Prime Minister.
He said the government will try to establish a sign-based educational institute as it would be beneficial for the development of the disabled people.
Source: UNBConnect
