Telangana spends highest in the country for the welfare of differently abled: KTR

RAJANNA SIRCILLA: No other state government in the country is as committed for the welfare of the differently abled as Telangana, said Information and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao on Tuesday. He was speaking at the distribution of assistive devices to over 1,000 differently-abled individuals in Sircilla district. As many as 426 hearing aids, 168 hand crutches, 130 manual tricycles, 75 wheelchairs, 160 motorcycles, 136 smartphones and smart walking stocks, 40 TV sets and 130 laptops among others were distributed to the beneficiaries.

Speaking at the event, KTR shared that the Telangana Government had been spending over Rs 1,540 crore every year on 5,10,000 differently-abled people for a monthly pension of Rs 3,116 which will be enhanced by Rs 1,000 next month. Highlighting the importance of the contribution of Telangana State, KTR said, “We are the only state in the country which is paying significantly for the welfare of the differently abled. Chhattisgarh pays only Rs 200 a month, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh Rs 300, Karnataka Rs 1,100 and Gujarat pays 600-1,000 a month. We are the highest contributors among these states.”

Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not contributing enough for the welfare of the differently-abled including his own state of Gujarat, KTR said, ”The Prime Minister keeps advising State Governments against freebie culture and welfare. They have a problem when we pay Rs 4,000 to differently-abled but let go of corporate criminals who have looted banks of over Rs 12,000 crore.”

Sharing an instance of how the Telangana Government was able to provide welfare as it identified the needs of the people on the ground, KTR said, “The Telangana Government pays 30 percent more salary to traffic cops than other police officials to compensate for the respiratory problems they face due to pollution on roads. No one asked for it and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao himself proposed this. This shows that the State Government is committed to the welfare of its citizens.”