DHAKA, April 1, 2019 (BSS) – The government has prepared a database of
16,44,608 physically challenged persons, of them 47,417 suffering from autism
spectrum disorder (ASD).
“Department of Social Service (DSS) has so far identified 16,44,608
people with disability and completed their database. Of them 47,417 are
suffering from autism syndrome, said Social Welfare Minister Nuruzzaman
Ahmed.
Addressing a press briefing at the ministry’s conference room here
today, the minister said the government has set up 103 service and aid
centres for disabled persons. Each service and aid centre includes an autism
resource centre to provide services to autistic people, he added.
“We have started disbursement of allowances to beneficiaries through
electronic system and it will be expanded across the country in phases,” said
Nuruzzaman.
State Minister for Social Welfare Sharif Ahmed and secretary of the
ministry Zuena Aziz were present at the press briefing.
The minister said the government would observe the 12th annual World
Autism Awareness Day tomorrow in the country as elsewhere in the globe with a
pledge to include the people suffering from autism and other physical
disabilities into the mainstream of development process.
The theme of this year is: ‘Assistive Technologies, Active
Participation’.
The social welfare ministry will organise a programme at the capital’s
Bangabandhu International Conference Centre around 10:30 am on the occasion.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the programme.
Nuruzzaman said the government has prepared a central database for
social safety net programme through Management Information System (MIS) which
includes information of 56 lakh beneficiaries.
He said the present government allocated Taka 64,656 crore for social
safety net programme in 2018-19 financial year, which was only Taka 373 crore
in 2005-2006 during the BNP-Jamaat regime.
The government also increased the number of beneficiaries in different
schemes, with an aim to improve the living standard of the poor and
underprivileged, said the minister.
According to the ministry, in the 2017-18 fiscal, the government
allocated Taka 54,206 crore for social safety net scheme and Taka 45,230
crore in the fiscal year 2016-17.
The government also increased the number of recipients of old age
allowances to four million from 3.5 million, widow and oppressed women
allowances to 1.4 million from 1.2 million, disability allowances to one
million from 825,000, stipends for students with disabilities from 80,000 to
90,000, and maternity allowances to 700,000 from 600,000.
There is also a proposal to increase the number of beneficiaries of
special allowances and stipends for the Bede and the underprivileged to
64,000 from 36,000.