DEPwD to organise ‘National Conference on Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme’ tomorrow

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

DEPwD to organise ‘National Conference on Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme’ tomorrow

Posted On: 28 FEB 2019 4:42PM by PIB Delhi

A National Conference on “Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS)” will be organized on 1st March, 2019 by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowermentat Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi Union Minister of Social Justice & EmpowermentDr. Thaawarchand Gehlot will be the Chief Guest and will be giving the key note address on the detailed account of the scheme. Ministers of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar, Shri Vijay Sampla and Shri Ramdas Athawale will be the Guests of Honour.

Smt. Shakuntala Doley Gamlin, Secretary, DEPwD will be highlighting the need for creation of an inclusive society that accepts and respects persons with disabilities without discrimination. The Programme Implementing Agencies (PIAs) are the partners in the mission of empowerment of persons with disabilities. Dr. Prabodh Seth, Joint Secretary, DEpWD will make a presentation highlighting the provisions of the revised scheme and how to implement the scheme effectively. An interactive question & answer session will also be a part of it, in which queries of the participants will be addressed. A few of the organizations who are receiving financial assistance under DDRS will share their views and experience by way of making presentation.

The objective of the conference is to sensitize the stakeholders of the scheme ie. Programme Implementing Agencies (PIAs), District level officers & State Government officers. Earlier the Department organized three Regional Conferences at Secunderabad on 22.12.2018, Mumbai on 17.01.2019 and Kolkata on 18.02.2019 covering the Southern, Western, Central, Eastern and North-Eastern regions of the country. Now, the National conference is being organized to cover the entire country. About 600 delegates from across the country are expected to participate in the conference.

Under the Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme, every year more than 600 NGOs are provided with financial assistance for running their projects for the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities such as Special school, pre-school and early intervention, Half-way Homes and Community Based Rehabilitation etc. The NGOs being funded are providing the rehabilitative services to more than 35000 to 40000 beneficiaries every year. In the implementation process of the scheme, the role of State Government is very crucial. The recommendation from the District Social Welfare Officer and State Government is important in release of grant-in-aid. The budget allocation for the year 2018-19 is Rs. 70.00 crores.

Although the DDRS Scheme was in existence from 1999, yet a major revamp has been carried out in its provisions with effect from 01.04.2018. The scheme has been revised for making it more impactful for rehabilitation of PwDs. Improvements made in the scheme include increase of honorarium and other cost norms by 2.5 times, streamlining the process of application and processing of proposals, rationalising the number of model projects from 18 to 9, etc.

The list of model projects includes :

i. Pre-Schools, Early Intervention and Training

ii. Special Schools forChildren with

a. Intellectual Disabilities

b. Hearing and Speech Disabilities and

c. Visual Disabilities

iii. Project for Cerebral Palsied children

iv. Rehabilitation of Leprosy cured persons

v. Half Way Home for psycho-Social Rehabilitation of treated and controlled Mentally ill persons

vi. Home Based Rehabilitation

vii. Community Based Rehabilitation Programme (CBR)

viii. Low Vision Centres and

ix. Human Resource Development.

The Conference is to disseminate the provisions of the revised scheme and to sensitize various stake holders about it. This conference provides a unique opportunity for interactions amongst all stakeholders to ensureexchange of cross-sectoral views on the aspects of the efficacy of the scheme as well as the scope of improvements in it.

The Conference would have a profound impact on the implementation of the Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme for the welfare of the Divyangjan. It will sensitize the PIAs about the major changes brought about in the revised scheme and would create awareness among major stakeholders, viz. State Government and District level Officers and NGOs in popularizing the scheme further, thereby promoting the well-being of Divyanjans (Persons with Disabilities).

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Source : PIB