Nagpur: Through the Department of Divyang Welfare, the District Annual Plan, and the Pradhan Mantri District Mineral Foundation, all disabled individuals in the district will be provided with benefits from various welfare schemes. No eligible person will be left out, stated Revenue Minister and Guardian Minister of Nagpur district, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, during a distribution event.
In a move to enhance the welfare of differently-abled individuals, Bawankule launched a Rs 10 crore initiative aimed at providing self-employment opportunities to disabled residents of the district. At an event on Sunday organised by the Social Justice and Special Assistance Department, 200 beneficiaries received the first batch of 100 e-rickshaws and 100 motorised tricycles, marking the first phase of a wider project that will benefit 640 disabled people.
Gold Rate
Monday 02 March 2025
The event was attended by Minister of State for Finance and Planning, Adv. Ashish Jaiswal, MP Shyamkumar Barve, MLCs Abhijit Wanjarri and Sanjay Meshram, District Collector Dr. Vipin Itankar, Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Parishad Vinayak Mahamuni, and Assistant Commissioner of Social Justice and Special Assistance Department Sukeshini Telgote.
The initiative, which was conceptualised by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, is designed to support disabled individuals by enabling them to lead more independent lives and create self-sustained livelihoods. Bawankule announced that the government is committed to ensuring that every disabled person in the district benefits from welfare schemes within the next two years, emphasising that no individual should be left behind.
The scheme, which received an initial allocation of Rs 10 crore, has been funded with Rs 6 crore from the District Mineral Foundation for the e-rickshaws and Rs 4 crore for the motorised tricycles. These vehicles, given to individuals across the district, are expected to help improve mobility, allowing beneficiaries to travel for work or business, and offer much-needed economic support in the form of self-employment.
“The Maharashtra Government is dedicated to the welfare of the differently-abled,” said Bawankule during the event. “For the first time in the state, a separate administrative department, the divyang kalyan department, has been set up to specifically focus on the needs of the disabled. Along with these vehicles, we are rolling out a series of welfare schemes for the differently-abled, such as the Surya Ghar scheme, which will provide free electricity to disabled households for the next 15 years,” he added.
Minister of State Ashish Jaiswal highlighted that Nagpur’s district annual plan fund has now surpassed Rs 1,000 crore, a significant increase from Rs 220 crore over the past 10 years. He emphasised that at least Rs 10 crore would be allocated for disability welfare programmes in the district, supporting initiatives such as the current vehicle distribution. Additionally, plans are underway to introduce special schools for the disabled and the creation of more posts to aid in their rehabilitation. Special ambulances for disabled people are also part of the ongoing efforts.
As part of the second phase of the project, an additional Rs 10 crore will be invested, with plans to distribute more e-rickshaws and motorised tricycles to additional beneficiaries within the next four months.
