Persons with Disabilities
Law on cards to ensure rights: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina shows affection towards a young girl with disability at the inaugural of a function marking International Day of Persons with Disabilities at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city yesterday. Photo: PID
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the government would enact a law for ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities and giving them the opportunity to contribute to country's development. She said the government wants to involve the persons with disability in making the country a 'Digital Bangladesh'. Hasina was addressing a function at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city, marking the 20th International Day for the Disabled. Social Welfare Minister Enamul Hoque Mostofa Shahid presided over the programme, organised by National Foundation for Development of the Disabled Persons, an initiative of the Social Welfare Ministry. Health and Social Welfare adviser to the Prime Minister Prof Dr Syed Modasser Ali also spoke on the occasion. Hasina urged all to extend their hands of cooperation to help the persons with disability. “Let us help them flourish their merit, you will see them contributing to advancing the society,” she said. Mentioning that the students with disability now get 15 minutes extra time in their examinations, she said: “This is not enough for them and we are thinking of increasing the time to 30 minutes.” Hasina said the Awami League-led government had established the National Development Forum for the Disabled during the tenure of 1996-2001 and has now set up service and help centres for them in 30 districts. “We'll set up such centres in 20 more districts this fiscal, and gradually, we'll cover all the districts.” She said the government has formulated special education policy for the students with disability. She said the monthly allowance for the persons with disability has been increased to Tk 300 from Tk 250 while the number of beneficiaries of such allowance has been increased to 2.86 lakh from 2.60 lakh. Hasina said: “We are building a self-reliant, modern complex for the persons with disability in Dhaka with all facilities.”
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