City Desk :
Belal Hawlader, a resident of Gorsthan (graveyard) Road of Patuakhali Pourasabha, is a day-lobourer by profession. The father of seven children, Belal Hawlader was struggling to run his family due to financial insolvency. He was passing his days somehow by accepting sorrow, pain and hardship. But his sufferings increased further when two of his children-Rakib and Shakib-were detected as mentally-challenged by born.
Belal Hawlader and Runu Begum couple could not understand the problem first immediately after the birth of their two children. They noticed their abnormality from their behaviour gradually. They were confirmed of their mental sickness when they visited doctors later. At that time many neighbors and relatives started talking that Rakib and Shakib are the result of the sin of Belal Hawlader and his wife. The couple got frustrated for such comments of the people. They were broken down mentally due to sickness of the two children in one hand and the financial insolvency in the other hand. Considering the situation of Belal Hawlader, the upazila chairman with the assistance of local Social Service Office has arranged disabled allowance for his two children. As a result, they are receiving the government allowance of Taka 3600 after three months as Tk 600 per person in every month. Through the money, they are not only meeting medicines for the physically-challenged children, they are also fulfilling their daily needs. Monwara Khatun Kamola, a 37-year-old physically-challenged woman, is another such person. The physical structure of Kamola, who was born at the house of poor farmer Ismail at Banagram village under Khoksha upazila in Kushtia in 1980, was very weak. At her mature age, her height is two and a half feet. Her parent needed five years to know that their only child Kamola is physically incapable. At that time they were so much worried about Kamola. But now they are not concerned about her.
Ignoring banter and badinage, Kamola passed degree examination with good results. From the childhood, she had a dream of doing something for the neglected and insolvent disabled people.
From the student life, she used to do various types of development work. Along with Aslam, another disabled, Kamola established Khoksha Upazila Protibandhi Kalyan Sangstha for creating employment and realizing the rights of insolvent, poor and disadvantageous disabled people. And this organisation is now is a factory of materialising dreams of many disabled like Kamola and Aslam. Currently, 395 persons with disabilities are working together in the cottage industry of the organisation. Most of the disabled including Kamola have been brought under the allowance for the poor and insolvent disabled. Besides, Kamola is getting Tk 10,000 every year from the Directorate of Social Welfare to run the organisation.
The disabled-friendly government has not only ensured the future of Rakib-Shakib or Kamala, many Rakib-Shakib and Kamola are now self-dependent and well-established in the society due to good attention of the government. Deputy Director of the Department of Social Service Farid Ahmed said the government in 2005-2006 fiscal year introduced the Disabled Allowance Programme for changing the lot and improving the living standard of the poor, insolvent disabled people.
At that time Tk 200 monthly allowance was provided to 1,04,166 disabled people. But the number of beneficiaries and the amount of money were increased later. Currently, Tk 540 crore are being given to 7.50 lakh physically challenged people at a monthly rate of Tk 600. Besides, stipend for the students with disabilities has been declared from the primary level to higher level. Interest-free loan from Tk 5000 to Tk 30,000 are being provided for self-employment of the physically-challenged. One time grants are also being given to them for vocational training and making them self-reliant after the training.
The other steps that have been taken for the welfare of the people with disabilities included arrangement for special books named “brail” for the visually-impaired students, allocation of 30 minutes additional time in the public examinations for the disabled students, preservation of 10 percent quota in class three and four jobs and one percent quota in class one and two jobs and arrangement of specialised healthcare services for the disabled in every upazila.
A number of organisations are working at government and private levels for mental growth of the physically-challenged children. A school named “Proyash” has been launched at Dhaka Cantonment for the students with disabilities. Work is underway to establish its branch in Comilla and Chittagong, while directives have been given to launch such schools at all cantonments. Farid Ahmed said type and level of disability and financial condition of the challenged people are given priority in providing allowance. In this case, preference is given to those who are insolvent and fully incapable of doing work.
He said the government initiatives and measures are playing a massive role in integrating physically-challenged children in the mainstream of the society.
“This allowance has improved the living standard of the poor and insolvent disabled,” Farid Ahmed said, urging the well-off people to come forward to make the government initiative a success.
Belal Hawlader, a resident of Gorsthan (graveyard) Road of Patuakhali Pourasabha, is a day-lobourer by profession. The father of seven children, Belal Hawlader was struggling to run his family due to financial insolvency. He was passing his days somehow by accepting sorrow, pain and hardship. But his sufferings increased further when two of his children-Rakib and Shakib-were detected as mentally-challenged by born.
Belal Hawlader and Runu Begum couple could not understand the problem first immediately after the birth of their two children. They noticed their abnormality from their behaviour gradually. They were confirmed of their mental sickness when they visited doctors later. At that time many neighbors and relatives started talking that Rakib and Shakib are the result of the sin of Belal Hawlader and his wife. The couple got frustrated for such comments of the people. They were broken down mentally due to sickness of the two children in one hand and the financial insolvency in the other hand. Considering the situation of Belal Hawlader, the upazila chairman with the assistance of local Social Service Office has arranged disabled allowance for his two children. As a result, they are receiving the government allowance of Taka 3600 after three months as Tk 600 per person in every month. Through the money, they are not only meeting medicines for the physically-challenged children, they are also fulfilling their daily needs. Monwara Khatun Kamola, a 37-year-old physically-challenged woman, is another such person. The physical structure of Kamola, who was born at the house of poor farmer Ismail at Banagram village under Khoksha upazila in Kushtia in 1980, was very weak. At her mature age, her height is two and a half feet. Her parent needed five years to know that their only child Kamola is physically incapable. At that time they were so much worried about Kamola. But now they are not concerned about her.
Ignoring banter and badinage, Kamola passed degree examination with good results. From the childhood, she had a dream of doing something for the neglected and insolvent disabled people.
From the student life, she used to do various types of development work. Along with Aslam, another disabled, Kamola established Khoksha Upazila Protibandhi Kalyan Sangstha for creating employment and realizing the rights of insolvent, poor and disadvantageous disabled people. And this organisation is now is a factory of materialising dreams of many disabled like Kamola and Aslam. Currently, 395 persons with disabilities are working together in the cottage industry of the organisation. Most of the disabled including Kamola have been brought under the allowance for the poor and insolvent disabled. Besides, Kamola is getting Tk 10,000 every year from the Directorate of Social Welfare to run the organisation.
The disabled-friendly government has not only ensured the future of Rakib-Shakib or Kamala, many Rakib-Shakib and Kamola are now self-dependent and well-established in the society due to good attention of the government. Deputy Director of the Department of Social Service Farid Ahmed said the government in 2005-2006 fiscal year introduced the Disabled Allowance Programme for changing the lot and improving the living standard of the poor, insolvent disabled people.
At that time Tk 200 monthly allowance was provided to 1,04,166 disabled people. But the number of beneficiaries and the amount of money were increased later. Currently, Tk 540 crore are being given to 7.50 lakh physically challenged people at a monthly rate of Tk 600. Besides, stipend for the students with disabilities has been declared from the primary level to higher level. Interest-free loan from Tk 5000 to Tk 30,000 are being provided for self-employment of the physically-challenged. One time grants are also being given to them for vocational training and making them self-reliant after the training.
The other steps that have been taken for the welfare of the people with disabilities included arrangement for special books named “brail” for the visually-impaired students, allocation of 30 minutes additional time in the public examinations for the disabled students, preservation of 10 percent quota in class three and four jobs and one percent quota in class one and two jobs and arrangement of specialised healthcare services for the disabled in every upazila.
A number of organisations are working at government and private levels for mental growth of the physically-challenged children. A school named “Proyash” has been launched at Dhaka Cantonment for the students with disabilities. Work is underway to establish its branch in Comilla and Chittagong, while directives have been given to launch such schools at all cantonments. Farid Ahmed said type and level of disability and financial condition of the challenged people are given priority in providing allowance. In this case, preference is given to those who are insolvent and fully incapable of doing work.
He said the government initiatives and measures are playing a massive role in integrating physically-challenged children in the mainstream of the society.
“This allowance has improved the living standard of the poor and insolvent disabled,” Farid Ahmed said, urging the well-off people to come forward to make the government initiative a success.
