CM promises Rs16m grant, vehicles for Pakistan Association of the Blind

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in his meeting with a delegation of the Pakistan Association of the Blind, Sindh, on Friday promised a grant of Rs16 million for the association and vehicles to pick up and drop blind children from their homes to special schools.

“We are implementing the five per cent quota in government jobs for differently abled persons,” the CM said in his meeting with the association members. The meeting was held at the CM House, The delegation comprised Association President Riaz Memon, Senior Vice President Ghulam Dastagir, General Secretary Saad Noor, Finance Secretary Mohsin Ali, and others. Principal Secretary to CM Agha Wasif and Secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPD) Tauha Farooqi were also present on the occasion.

The CM said President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari had directed him to resolve all the issues of the persons with impaired vision. To this, Memon said that a delegation of the association had also called on President Zardari.

The association president recalled that during his last tenure as the president, Zardari had granted them a concession card for using the PIA and Railways services for travelling, which was rescinded when his tenure was over.

He said the past Pakistan Peoples Party’s federal government led by Yousuf Raza Gilani had also supported them. It was said that blind persons should be issued a CNIC that reflected their vision impairment. To this, the CM assured the association that he would talk to the National Database & Registration Authority officials for that.

The association members requested the CM to approve an annual grant for their association, to which the CM approved a Rs16 million annual grant and directed the DEPD secretary to send him a summary for formal approval.

The association members told the CM that their two centres in Larkana and Karachi needed transport facilities for pick and drop service. The CM approved two vehicles for these special education centres to provide pick-and-drop service to the enrolled students.

Shah told the association that there would be separate facilities for the blind at the proposed Inclusive City and their members would be taken into confidence in developing facilities there. The association members lauded the CM for his steadfast support for differently-abled persons.