Orissa

Facilities and concessions in Orissa

1. Concerned officer

The Director,
Social Welfare,
Panchayati Raj Department
Government of Orissa,
Cuttack.

2. Reservation

a) In Government job : In Grade `C' and `D' posts under the Government, reservation are provided in direct recruitment for physically disabled persons as indicated below:

In addition, 3% vacancies are reserved for disabled person in Class III gazetted posts and specially gazetted posts for physically disabled persons under the State Government and Public Sector Undertakings.

(b) In Dealership - Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department reserve 10% of vacant / new fair price shops for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind people for appointment as retailer under Public Delivery Systems.

c) In ITIs: Physically disabled persons get 3% weightage of marks and 2% reservation in admission in Engineering Schools / Polytechnics and ITI's of the State.

d) Physically disabled (Special Class Entrepreneur) is allowed 5% extra capital investment subsidy subject to a limit of Rupees 5.0 lakhs over and above the limits prescribed in the State Industrial Policy, 1996.

e) In Artisian Training Course: The disabled persons get 3% reservation under Artisian Training Courses for self-employment being run by Orissa State Directorate of Technical Education and Training.

3. Age relaxation

The upper age limit is relaxed by 10 years for disabled persons in Cl.III and Cl.IV posts.

4. Scholarship / Stipend

The State Government awards scholarship @ Rupees 20 to Rupees 75 p.m. to the disabled students from class I to VII, whose parents income does not exceed Rupees 750 per month and who has been successful in the last qualifying exam. In addition to this, allowances are given for writer; maintenance of orthotic and prosthetic aids and transport facilities according to the nature of the handicap. At present, 4034 disabled students are covered under this scheme.

5. Disability pension

Under the scheme introduced by the State Government w.e.f 2-10-84 an amount of Rupees 100 per month is given to the blind and orthopaedically disabled destitute of 5 years of age and above. So far, 58812 disabled persons are benefited.

6. Unemployment allowance

Disabled persons at the age group of 18 to 60 years get Rupees 75 p.m. as unemployment allowance.

7. Conveyance allowance

Blind & orthopaedically disabled employees get Rupees 75 P.M as conveyance allowance.

8. Bus concession

Free bus travel is provided to those O.H. and Blind persons whose disability is 50% and above and 50% concession to their escorts. 50% concession is given to those OH and blind persons whose disability is 40% to 50% without escort. 2 seats are reserved for the disabled. The mentally retarded persons are given 100% concssion along with an escort with 50% concession.

Office Order No.5950/T, dated 28.3.91
Officer-In-charge,
Commissioner-Cum-Secretary To Government
Transport Deptt., Bhubaneswar

9. Assistance for self-employment

The scheme for self-employment of disabled persons was introduced during 1985-86 to rehabilitate the disabled persons in urban areas of the state. Under this scheme, Government subsidy @ Rupees 8,000 per beneficiary is provided out of which Rupees 6,000 is meant for kiosk and Rupees 2,000 is earmarked for working capital to start small business. Bank loan could also be availed to enable the beneficiary to stabilise him financially. From 1985-86 to 1997-98 the Government have sanctioned funds for 1019 beneficiaries to start their small business.

10. Awards / Sports / Seminars

The State Government has made provision for State Award to the outstanding disabled persons on 26th Jan. on the occasion of Republic Day Celebration. Organisations get grants to organise Sports/Seminars. Parents & disabled are benefited through this scheme. Cause and prevention of disability and rehabilitation can be disseminated to public through the mass awareness programmes, seminars/symposiums etc.

In addition to this, art and painting competition are also organised annually for the disabled.

11. Aids and appliances

(a) Assistance for purchase of Aids & appliances : Free aids and appliances is given to those disabled persons whose income is below Rupees 1,000 per month 50% concession is given to those whose income is above Rupees 1,000 per month
( Transit homes have also been constructed for providing accomodation to the disabled persons who come to the District Fitment Centres for fitting of aids and appliances at Balasore, Puri, Ganjam and Phulbani.)

(b) Supply of special Aids and Appliances - The State Government introduced scheme during 1985 for supply of modern aids and appliances to the disabled persons for the purpose of reducing effects of disability. Aids and appliances like Tricycles, Wheel Chairs, Crutches, Hearing Aids, Folding Canes, Walking Sticks etc.are purchased and supplied to the disabled persons. Since, 1991-92 to 1996-97, 7990 disabled persons have been benefitted under this scheme.

12. Other facilities

(i) Assistance for medical treatment: Assistance for medical treatment is given to those whose family income is less than Rupees 200 per month The maximum limit is Rupees 3,000 per head. Medical expenditure is sanctioned by Director of Health Services.

(ii) Maintenance of physically handicapped and mentally retarded children:
(Resolution No. 12011-HW1 (A)-15485, Dated: 31/12/85)
Officer-In-Charge, Dir.,Social Welfare, Panchayati Raj Deptt.

The State Government is providing education to the disabled children viz- Blind, Deaf and Mentally Retarded children in Special Schools. At present, 50 Special Schools have been established in the State through NGOs out of which 18 for the Blind, 21 for the Deaf and 11 for Mentally Retarded children. 3084 disabled children of different categories are imparting education in different Special Schools and State Government provide assistance for running these schools in shape of Grant-in-Aid.

(iii) Training and rehabilitation of disabled: In order to train the adult disabled person in some profitable crafts so as to make them capable to earn their living, vocational training like cane, bamboos, plastic work, home management tailoring, short hand, coir works, woollen carpets etc. are provided through the vocational training centres run by registered voluntary organisations. Every year 161 adult disabled are benefited under this scheme.

(iv) Education and training:

(a) Training of teachers for the blind and disabled : Three training centres one each for training the teachers of Blind, Deaf and Mentally Retarded have been established in Bhubaneswar with the help of National Institute for the Visually Handicapped (NIVH), Dehradun, National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped (NIHH), Mumbai and National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped (NIMH), Secunderabad to train teachers to be engaged in Special Schools of the State. The State Government is providing financial support for running these centre in shape of Grants-in-aid.

(b) Printing of Braille Books - In order to print Braille Books for the Blind students, a Braille press has been installed at the Red Cross School for the Blind, Berhampur and the Orissa Association for the Blind is managing a Braille Transcription Project.

(c) Reservation of seats in D.Pharm course and other institutions - 1% seat for D.Pharma Course in Government and Private Colleges are reserved for PH persons. Two seats each in U.C.E Burla, I.G.I.T Sarang, G.E.T Bhubaneswar against Orissa Quota seats in R.E.C Rourkela and one seat each in S.C.B Medical College, Cuttack, VSS Medical College, Burla, M.K.C.G Medical College, Berhampur and I.T.I Choudwar are reserved for physically disabled persons.

(d) Weightage for admission to Higher Secondary, 3 years degree and P.G Courses - Physically disabled candidates are given weightage of an additional 5% marks for the purpose of admission over and above the aggregate marks secured by them for admission to Higher Secondary, 3 year degree and PG Courses.

(e) Facilities for education - 1% seats in C.T Training schools and B.Ed training courses are reserved for the physically disabled students. Besides, 3% of the vacancies in Class-III and IV posts under School and Mass Education Department are kept reserved for physically disabled candidates, in addition the school and Mass Education Department is providing Rupees 210 per month to each students reading in two blind schools and two deaf schools situated at Bhubaneswar and Burla

(f) Reservation in Joint Entrance Examination (Engineering and Medical) - Two seats each in U.C.E Burla, I.G.I.T Sarang, C.E.T Bhubaneswar against Orissa quota seats in R.E.C, Rourkela and one seat each in S.C.B Medical College, Cuttack, V.S.S Medical College, Berhampur and I.T.I Choudwar are reserved for physically disabled candidates.

(g) Reservation for Blind in Special Schools - 50% teaching posts in the Special School for the Blind are reserved for the Blind candidates.

(v) Care and protection of spastic children: This scheme has been introduced in 1990-91 for Education, Training and Rehabilitation of Spastic Children. Open Learning System, an NGO is supporting this scheme.

(vi) Identity cards and medical certificates are also provided to the disabled persons by the State Government.

(vii) Under the IRD Programme, in the rural areas, the disabled persons get 3% reservation under TRYSEM Scheme. Those rural disabled persons, who are poor and living below poverty lines, are eligible for TRYSEM trg. Under this scheme, the disabled persons are being financed through banks and get 50% subsidy to start the self-employment activities.

(viii) The VRCs for disabled are preparing the disabled persons for interviews through interview technique training programmes.

(ix) In examinations, Secondary to University level blind students are provided with competent amanuensus (one who writes to dictation to answer the questions). Blind students are also permitted to take up an arts subject in place of mathematics and science in the matriculation or equivalent examination.

(x) Under Apprenticeship Training Scheme of Apprenticeship Act, 1981 Orissa State Apprenticeship adviser has identified suitable trades for training of disabled persons as well as surveyed employment opportunities in various establishments so that 3% disabled persons could be admitted under Apprenticeship Training Programme achieving the overall target of 3-4% under Apprenticeship Training.

(xi) Those disabled persons having deformity of fingers are exempted from typing qualification/speed in case of clerical jobs.

(xii) The blind persons are eligible for appointment in teaching jobs and preferential treatment is given in appointment of music teacher.