National budget and the disabled
Salvation for the Deserving (SFD) requests to allocate 5 per cent of the national budget for the development of the disabled.
After coming to power through a critical situation on 11 January 2007, the caretaker government is going to present the national budget for the fiscal year 2008-2009. After assuming power, the caretaker government has taken many significant initiatives to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and for sustainable development. In the pervious national budget, the government issued a special grant like 3 per cent of development budget and 5.8 per cent of revenue budget for social security and welfare. That proves the strong commitment of the government to ensuring sustainable development and poverty alleviation.
But it is very much disappointing for us that the present government, like the previous ones, has not been considering the role of the disabled people, a big portion of the total population, in the development process. According to the census of 2001, about 12 percent of the total population is disabled in some way or the other. It is clear that no sustainable development will be possible by ignoring the huge section of the population. We believe that the disabled people can be treated as asset rather then burden through proper planning.
It may be mentioned that the present caretaker government signed the 'UN Convention on the rights of the people with disabilities'. Furthermore, the national office of the 'National Foundation for the development of the disabled persons' was shifted from the 3rd floor of a multi-storeyed building to a separate one-storied building. Such kind of initiatives shows the government's sensitivity to the disabled. Now, it is time to implement the clauses of the UN Charter. For the successful implementation of the Charter, special allocation in the coming budget is very much essential.
Besides, we also request the government to use a portion of Jakat funds and other benevolent funds for the development of the disabled and the deserving. We hope that the government will consider our proposal and take necessary steps for the development of the deprived groups.
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