Long-term plan for challenged peoples’ welfare stressed

RAJSHAHI, Feb 5 (BSS): The government should adopt long-term planning to solve problems of the country's millions of physically and mentally challenged people instead of relying on relief-based approaches, public representatives and development activists said here today.

They said the charity-based approaches and projects don't yield the desired results as they leave out a large part of the physically and mentally challenged population who need it most.

The observations came at a roundtable discussion styled "Local Government Budget: Physically Challenged Population" held at the conference room of Paba Upazila Parishad Complext in Rajshahi.

Protibandhi Shaw-nirbhar Sangstha (PSS) organized the meeting in association with Handicap International to draw attention of the policymakers to the plights of the country's more than 15 million physically and mentally challenged people.

Upazila Chairman Prof Mokbul Hossain and its Vice-chairman Monsur Rahman addressed the discussion as chief and special guests respectively with another Vice-chairman Sufiya Hassan in the chair.

In the keynote presentation, Firoza Khatun Shima, Adviser of PSS, said the social welfare ministry took up a number of projects in the last four and half years targeting some special needs of the challenged people.

"Budgetary allocation for them has also increased, but development of them is still not the mainstream development," she said.

In the upcoming budget for 2014-15, she has demanded an increase in the allowances for the economically insolvent ones and rise in the number of the beneficiaries.

Shima also urged the government to ensure ramp in all government buildings, introduce rationing for the insolvent challenged people and pass law for their rights and also ensure its implementation.