Pakistan provides funding for people with disabilities

From The Daily Mail in Pakistan:

ISLAMABAD—All the families having a disabled person would get Rs.1000 per month under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Deputy Chairman Planning Commission of Pakistan, Salman Faruqui said here on Nov. 17.

He was addressing at the inaugural session of a workshop "Plan of Action for Persons with Disabilities" organized by Planning Commission in collaboration with UNICEF.

"Irrespective of the fact whether the family qualifies for the BISP or not, if it has a person with disability, it would get support of Rs.1000 on monthly basis under the programme," The PC Deputy Chairman said.

He said that the Planning Commission was committed to prepare an action plan for the welfare of the disabled of the country, and asked for constituting a special Task Force, under Secretary Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education, to prepare an action plan for the disabled.

He assured that the recommendation prepared by the force would be presented to the federal government for further action and implementation. He, however, deplored that lack of action plan and commitment has always been a hurdle in the way of welfare of disabled people, saying that only eight institutions were added for the education of special children during past several years.

He said that there were only 119 institutions for the disabled adding that the number would be doubled within a couple of years. He said that the funds for the special people would also be increased within this fiscal year.

Only 5000 people among about 0.5 million disabled are cared by the government, he said adding that action plan was needed to facilitate a maximum number of disabled. He said that the commission was committed to ensure establishment of a special section/unit in every institute to start marketing skills training for the disable to make them self-sufficient and independent.

He said that the World Food Programme would be again approached to provide nutrition to the disabled, saying that if the WFP could not do the same, then government would be asked to provide nutrition to the disabled children.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education GM Sikandar deplored that the ministries, provincial governments and NGOs were not very much responsive to the ministry's welfare programmes for the special people.

Among the ministries, he said, only two nominated focal persons, adding that same was the case with 26 provincial departments out of which only 10 focal persons were nominated whereas out of 27 NGOs only 2 nominated their focal persons.

Secretary Planning Division, Suhail Safdar, speaking on the occasion stressed the need for paradigm shift from exclusive education to inclusive education for the special people. UNICEF representative for Pakistan, Dr Martin Mogwanja, while speaking on the occasion, assured the Planning Commission of the fund's support in devising policy and action plan for the welfare of the disabled.

Among others, the workshop is being attended by representatives form federal ministries, professionals and representatives form provincial governments, NGOs, civil society organizations, international and UN organizations.

The Planning commission as part of the new initiative process of sustainable social welfare of people would formulate an integrated action plan, for which the workshop is expected to provide recommendations.