Physically handicapped throng Palamuru Sadaram centre

 Mahbubnagar: For the last two few days, the Sadaram centre in Mahbubnagar district has been witnessing huge influx of physically handicapped candidates seeking new certificates from healthcare authorities in the district. 

With the State government decided to enhance the Aasara pension to the physically handicapped persons from the current Rs 1,500 per every month to Rs 3,016 from the beginning of April this year, the Sadaram centres in the district are flooded with large number of physically handicapped candidates to renew the old ones and apply for the new certificates. 

Earlier, the district administration under the Health department had announced the conduct of free Sadaram camps for the physically handicapped in order to help the candidates to make use of these camps and get physically handicapped certification based on the percentage of their disability. 

At present, there are only two Sadaram centres, one in Nagarkurnool district and the second is in Mahbubnagar district. As a result, people from various mandals of Wanaparthy, Gadwal and from the areas of Nagarkurnool and Mahbubnagar district are flooding these two centres for getting the physically handicapped certification.  

“As the district administrations of Gadwal and Wanaparthy have stopped conducting Sadaram camps, we have come from a long distance to attend the Sadaram camp in Mahbubnagar. As there are large number of people present at the Sadaram centres it is becoming tough for us to get medical check-up done,” said a few people who had attended Sadaram Centre in Mahbubnagar. 

Under Aasara pension, 4,30,397 candidates have been registered in the combined erstwhile Mahbubnagar district. Among this, about 60,740 candidates are registered as physically handicapped and getting Rs 1,500 per month as pension, while the others who are above 60 years of age are being given Rs 1,000 per month.  

For the 60,740 physically handicapped candidates, the State government is spending Rs 9.11 crores every month to pay as pensions. However, now with the State government enhancing this amount to Rs 3,016 per month, the burden on the State’s exchequer is expected to double to Rs 18.32 crore per every month from April onwards. 

As the authorities are holding Sadaram camps on every Tuesday, on an average 80 physically handicapped candidates are visiting the camp in Mahbubnagar and so far, as many as 450 candidates have applied for the new physically handicapped certificates. The candidates who are deaf, dumb, orthopedically disabled, mentally-disabled etc are visiting the camps and getting themselves certified by the specialist doctors.

However, as the government had not released adequate funds to Gadwal and Wanaparthy districts for hosting the camps, a large number of people are thronging Mahbubnagar and Nagarkurnool camps due to which the doctors are also facing tough time to handle the heavy influx of physically handicapped candidates.