Budgetary allocation for disabled not adequate: speakers
A group of non-government organisations yesterday called upon the government to reconsider the budgetary allocation for people with disabilities.
The allocation is inadequate to provide facilities to the disabled, claimed nine organisations working for persons with disabilities, from a press conference at Jatiya Press Club.
Access Bangladesh Foundation (ABF), Manusher Jonno Foundation and UKAid arranged the event.
Reading out a statement, ABF executive director Albert Mollah said allocation for the disabled is 2.19 percent of the social safety net budget, only 0.31 percent of the total budget.
He alleged that no consultation was held between the government and people with disabilities.
Citing the government’s reluctance to encourage disabled persons to join school, he said at least 90 percent of the disabled are not even admitted to primary schools. “The rest, who continue studies, do not get proper facilities.”
Albert said development issues of the disabled should not remain only under the ministry of social welfare.
“Government should have decentralised allocations under different ministries,” he said.
He presented a set of recommendations, including proper development plan for persons with disabilities, stipends and allocation for creating employment opportunities for them and disabled-friendly infrastructural development.
In her speech, Morgina Ahmed, a representative of Disabled Welfare Society (DWS), said that many disabled persons in the country are beyond the government’s list as no effective survey has yet been carried out.
She urged the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics authorities to conduct a survey for their enlistment so that every disabled person could get proper facilities.
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