Revise monthly pension to Rs 6K, PwDs urge government

CHENNAI: Hundreds of persons with disabilities (PwDs) and members of the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC) staged a protest in the city demanding to increase the monthly assistance to Rs 6,000.

The first round of protest was held a week ago and after a brief hiatus, the protest was resumed here on Tuesday (February 17).

As per official data, there are 14 lakh PwDs in TN, out of which, over 8.52 lakh people receive monthly assistance from the government. Till 2022, it was Rs 1,000 for persons below 75% disability and Rs 1,500 for those above the cap.

After the demand and protests by the community, the government in 2022 increased it by Rs 500 in both categories. However, TARATDAC demands to revise the amount to Rs 6,000.

Meanwhile, the TN government on Tuesday announced the interim budget estimate of Rs 1,471 crore to the Department for the Welfare of Differently Abled Persons. But, with no mention of revision in the monthly pension.

“The monthly assistance for us in Delhi, Haryana and Telangana is over Rs 4,000. In Puducherry, it’s Rs 5,500, and in Andhra, it’s between Rs 6,000 and Rs 15,000 as per the percentage of disability. Hence, we want a revision to Rs 6,000,” said B Jansirani, general secretary, TARATDAC.