New Delhi: To help persons with benchmark disabilities having serious mobility issues, Delhi govt is working on a proposal to provide them with financial assistance to avail themselves of the services of caregivers.Delhi social welfare minister Ravindra Indraj Singh told TOI that his department was working on a scheme and would soon bring a proposal before the council of ministers for its approval. “The project was discussed in the cabinet once. We will finalise the proposal soon and place it before the council of ministers again for approval,” Singh said.The minister added the kin of persons with a benchmark disability of 80% or more would be provided with financial assistance, benefitting nearly 1,000 families. The department will soon conduct a survey on the number of people who will get the aid. Though the exact amount of the aid was yet to be finalised, the minister said, it could be around Rs 5,000. Delhi govt currently provides a monthly pension of Rs 2,500 to the disabled, but this amount is often too little for people from disadvantaged sections.Persons with benchmark disabilities are those who have not less than 40% of a specified disability, as per the disability certificate or the UDID card. There are 21 disabilities categorised, including locomotor disability, intellectual disability, mental illness, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, among others.
