Differently-abled beneficiaries receive welfare assistance worth ₹186.27 crore in Salem

As many as 1.54 lakh differently-abled beneficiaries have received welfare assistance to the tune of ₹186.27 crore in the last four and a half years in Salem district, said Tourism Minister R. Rajendran on Sunday.

The Minister distributed welfare assistance, including retrofitted petrol scooters, motorised sewing machines, and smart phones for the hearing and vision impaired, to 359 differently abled beneficiaries at a function held in Salem on Sunday. This includes 289 beneficiaries receiving retrofitted petrol scooters worth ₹2.94 crore, 50 beneficiaries receiving ₹3.20 lakh worth of motorised sewing machines, and 20 people getting smart mobile phones worth ₹ 2.89 lakh.

“In the past four and a half years, a total of 1.54 lakh differently abled beneficiaries received welfare assistance worth ₹186.27 crore in the district. This includes identity cards for 83,645 people, unique disability identity cards for 34,050 people, ₹ 134.79 crore (₹ 2,000 monthly maintenance assistance) to 15,636 beneficiaries, ₹ 13.13 crore to 2,189 people (₹1,000 personal assistance allowance to differently abled persons with high support needs), and retrofitted petrol scooters worth ₹20.38 crore to 2,039 beneficiaries,” the Minister added.

The Minister flagged off a mobile soil testing vehicle worth ₹75 lakh on behalf of the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department at another event.