CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu will soon begin a state-wide census of differently-abled people. The state presently has no accurate data on the number of such people and the degree of their disability, state social welfare secretary Md Nasimuddin said here on Thursday.
At the fifth International Conference on Disabilities organised by the Madhuram Narayanan Centre for Exceptional Children, Nasimuddin said the data from the census would help the government frame welfare policies exclusively for the differently-abled.
"We will be able to sharpen policy interventions based on the requirement in every area," he said. Several government departments, including health, education and revenue, will be involved in the head-count for which the planning is in progress.
Activists and social welfare groups in the state have been demanding such a census for almost five years now, in vain. The 2011 national census showed that the population of differently-abled in the country had increased by 22.4% between 2001 and 2011, from 2.19 crore to 2.68 crore.
Tamil Nadu was among the few states where the population of the differently-abled was less than 1.75% of the total population. "Now, even in Tamil Nadu, the number of differently-abled people is increasing due to factors like pollution, maternal risk factors and consanguineous marriages. While we will be working with the differently-abled people and their caregivers, the state government will also be focusing on spreading awareness for prevention of disability," said Nasimuddin.
As part of the efforts, the department of social welfare will print books in Tamil for patients, caregivers, counsellors and doctors.
In an attempt to improve accessibility for differently-abled people, the state has sought a funding up to Rs 20 crore from the Centre to retrofit up to 25 government-run commercial buildings and public spaces in Chennai and Coimbatore frequented by such people.
The plan, which was drawn up based on the accessibility report submitted by NGOs working the field, includes special parking lots, ramps, elevators and differently abled-friendly washrooms beside emergency alert systems. The state has already received an initial funding of Rs 3.8 crore, he said.
The state's mobile health services for differently abled children have catered to 15,000 children, he said. "In each of the 32 districts, there is a van that goes to the houses of differently abled children with therapists, counsellors and all the medical kits. Services are provided in the house. The central government is planning use TN model across the country," he said.
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