Centre to table rights bill in Parliament soon: Kumari Selja

KOZHIKODE: Government would shortly table the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill in Parliament, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Kumari Selja today said.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone for the Composite Regional Centre for Personal with disabilities, the first centre to come up in South India, at nearby Vellimadukunnu, Selja said it would be beneficial for people suffering from various mental and physical disabilities once the bill was passed by Parliament.

Pointing out that efforts would be taken to pass the bill at the earliest, Selja said government had already sent the draft of the bill to all state governments.

The number of differently abled persons was very less in the country as per government's official records, she said.

Government would organise training programmes and workshops for the welfare of persons with physical and mental disability, she said.

Kerala Panchayat Minister, M K Muneer, urged the Union Minister to extend Centre's support for setting up a National Institute for Visually Challenged and National Institute for Orthopaedically Challenged persons in the state.

M K Raghavan, MP, said the complex coming up on a three acre plot was expected to be completed in approximately two years. With the functioning of the centre, a fast paced progress in the disabled welfare rehabilitation sector could be seen, he said.

Estimated cost for the centre was Rs 13.2 crore and the Centre would give Rs 11.6 crore for preliminary expenses in the first phase, Raghavan said.

The centre will be the first such centre in south India, he said, adding, presently there are seven National Institutes and eight Composite Regional Centres under the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry.