Image used for representational purposes only
| Photo Credit: B. Velankanni Raj
Over 30 disability associations across Tamil Nadu have urged the State government to increase the social security allowance given to persons with disabilities from ₹2,000 per month to ₹6,000 per month.
In a petition submitted to the Welfare of Differently Abled Persons Department, they said: “The government needs to adopt a layered approach to access the various financial assistance programmes, so that some of the living costs we incur due to the barriers and discrimination we face daily are compensated for.”
Stating that the Andhra Pradesh government provides a pension of ₹6,000 to persons with disabilities, disability rights activist Smitha Sadasivan said that as living costs increase, PwDs require more support. “It is not a support for the disability; it is an extension of their living requirements, which the government needs to meet,” she said.
There are over 14 lakh persons with disabilities living in Tamil Nadu, the petition said, adding: “The barriers and lack of services have also led to lower standards of living for families of persons with disabilities and an experience of multi-dimensional poverty.”
They also added that high-support individuals also require full-time care, and hence, their caregivers’ allowance should be increased to at least ₹10,000.
Published – April 02, 2025 03:42 pm IST
