Disability Act-1995

   Government of India make disability Act-1995 to give special benefits to handicap persons, but as per belief of Punjab government’s Social Security Minister Laxmikant Chawla in the state act was not implemented at its full capacity, as handicap persons entitle for the benefits are not getting. It can be due to lack of information or shortage of awareness campaign. Just recently she held meeting with different government department representatives and express her disappointment on to the problems faced by handicapped despite Disability Act 1995 is implemented in the state. As per law handicap persons working in an organisation with less or up to twenty five thousand rupees scheme is running that ESI & EPF amount of such employees will be issue in three years period, but it has seen that in score of cases due to lack of knowledge handicap persons are unable to enjoy the scheme’s benefits. As per reports she was upset and directed concerned departments representatives with strong words to implement Disability Act 1995 proposals.

• In the meeting representatives of Industrial department she pass on directives that whenever they received any new proposal of factory in the state then they should add terms for the benefits of handicap persons that factory will hire three percent of their work force which comes in the category of handicap, as her department has made three percent reservation policy for handicap persons.
• Representatives of Transport department gets words from her to make it possible that on every bus terminal of state there will be wheel chair so that it helps handicap persons to move from one place to another without any problem. As it has seen that due to rush they find it very difficult to catch the bus of their destination.
• Representatives of Education department get instructions to submit details under right to information act how many kids’ gets advantages plus how many teachers have taken responsibilities to visit different homes to teach the kids.
• Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) representatives asked to make sure three percent reservation to the handicap persons in the allotments of house, shops and plots. In this regards she wants a policy so that handicap persons gets benefits under the Disabilities Act 1995 which has comes into force almost fifteen years back but till date policy is not make.
• From Health department nobody was present in the meeting, considering this social security minister issue letter to the health department and asked in future meetings they should not skip the meeting.
• Representatives of Rural development & Panchayat departments have not any satisfactory answers. Minister scolds the representatives and asked to attend the meetings next time with full information’s relating to their departments schemes. Five percent reservation for the handicap persons asked by the minister in Golden Jubilee rural plan and Indira Awaas Yogna.

President of Physical Handicap Education Association Mr. Dardi said there is feeling of uncomfortable among Punjab’s handicap persons but hopefully meeting of social security minister with different government department’s representatives relating to the schemes for handicap persons as she has pass on directions to the different departments, their problems will be reduce significantly.

Railways : Accidents & Insurance Policy ( II )

   In the country to ply any vehicle insurance is must and if anybody skip from insurance of his/her vehicle then he/she is entitle for fine of one thousand rupees or three months jail or both under section 146 of Motor Vehicle Act 1988, or in other words any vehicle runs on Indian roads should have mandatory below coded valid documents –

• Insurance policy
• Registration Certificate
• Driving License

Missing of any above document is offense and entitle for fine. This term is applicable on all the vehicles from moped to Airplane, but its shocking to code here that in the country one of the most use mode of travel Railways is running without insurance. As per railways sources passengers are entitle for below coded compensation from railways at the time of accidents –

• Five lakhs rupees to the kin of dead
• One lakh rupees if passenger become handicapped
• Twenty five thousand rupees if passenger injured

Question rises here if railways have not taken insurance policy then how it is able to compensate the passengers, well its straight forward answer is that Railways compensating the passengers from its budget and during 2009-10 financial year Railways had disbursed 1.4 billion rupees as compensation.

    Railways is one of most preferred and used traveling mode of Indians and as per rough stats on daily basis railways moves three million peoples from one place to another, but it is shocking to code that railways have not taken any insurance policy. It is ridiculous that it is running without opting insurance, infect till 2008 it keep on taking insurance and had spent rupees 770 million on to insurance in the year 2008, but next year amount of premium was increase by insurance companies by ten million rupees which railways officials deny to award the insurance contract to any company and since then railways have not taken insurance policy, ironically in the run to save 10 million rupees in the year 2009-10 railways have paid 1.4 billion rupees as compensation on to 100 railways accidents to dead or injured hence had disbursed 620 million rupees more from its budget as it has not opted any insurance, on just recently rail accidents railways has to give 100 million rupees. One of the shocking side of this story is that if any vehicle without insurance, is not allow to run on roads, even in this regard plane does not allow to take off, then why railway is getting relaxation on which terms to run without insurance, its answer is lies with the concerned authority. One of the explanation comes from the railways officials that incurrence companies are increasing premium on yearly basis which has no logic but on other hand insurance companies are saying that they have no other option but to increase premium as railway passengers are increasing as well as accidents of railways.

    Railways should take measures on safety of railways on priority basis, so that it can convince insurance companies to lower their premium and also passengers get safe and sound journey towards their destinations, otherwise blaming others is ridiculous move and nobody will accept this logic easily.