Hyderabad : SC and ST Welfare minister Adluri Lakshman Kumar on Sunday alleged that BRS leader T Harish Rao had made “blatant lies” at a meeting organised for persons with disabilities.
“The govt has spent ₹50 crore on vehicles, battery-operated vehicles and other assistive devices for persons with disabilities.
In contrast, he said, the Congress govt had accorded priority to the welfare of persons with disabilities. He also objected to Harish Rao’s alleged use of singular and disrespectful references while criticising chief minister A Revanth Reddy. “Persons with disabilities were forcibly brought to the meeting and made to listen to political criticism. If you want to speak about their problems, speak with facts and figures. Using them for political purposes is not acceptable,” the minister claimed.
Another ₹50 crore will be allocated next year to provide vehicles and other equipment. He claimed that the Congress govt remained committed to increasing the pension for persons with disabilities to ₹6,000 and that new pensions were also being sanctioned. He said the proposed enhancement had been delayed due to the state’s financial constraints and the process of mobilising resources, but reiterated that the govt remained committed to fulfilling the promise.
The objective is not merely to provide welfare assistance but to enable them to live independently and with dignity,” the minister said. “Let BRS leaders KT Rama Rao and Harish Rao tell the people how many houses they really built for the poor during their 10-year rule and how many houses the Congress govt has sanctioned,” Lakshman Kumar said. The Congress govt had also ensured priority for persons with disabilities under the Indiramma housing scheme.