Editor,
The words ‘Disabled’ and ‘Differently- Abled’ in your newspaper (ST Mar 17, 2015) has certainly created a curiosity and fascination for us who work for the impaired, the handicapped and the disabled. The way a challenged person is addressed is not important; what is important to the person is the way he is treated by the society. Is he accepted as one of us? Is he respected as a fellow human being? Do we teach our children or tell ourselves that he is made by the same God who made all of us? Do we help him to better his plight? Have we given him a barrier free environment? Have we made our Government and Public Utility buildings easily accessible for him? Have we given him the amenities to empower him to be at par with us? My earnest request to the honourable legislators is to exercise their authority in making the life of the disabled happy and meaningful. The words-impairment, disabled, handicapped were defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) way back in 1982 and these are universally accepted. As a man who has worked for the disabled for the last forty two years, well, let me add that there is nothing called Differently- Abled in the Disability parlance.
It is more important to debate on the implementation of the Persons with Disabilities Act. If my memory is correct it was only Mr P M Syiem who had brought pertinent questions for the benefit of the Disabled population of the State in the Assembly nearly ten years ago. Even in the Parliament it was only Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, prior to being the Speaker, who had persistently questioned about the uplift of the Disabled and unfortunately no other parliamentarian considered the Disabled worthy of their attention.
What is the Government’s line of action on the State Co-ordination Committee, the State Executive Committee, which as per the PWD Act are to meet every six months and every three months respectively? What about the District Local Level Committee which is to meet every three months?
What about the Special School the Government had proposed way back in the year 2000? Has the Government ever thought of funding the Special Schools run by the NGOs which survive on Charity? The cost of a State limousine would perhaps subsidise half the year’s expenditure of a Special School.
Yours etc,
Sajjad M. Ali
Dwar Jingkyrmen,
Shillong-3
Of single mothers
Editor,
It is absurd to hear that Mr Jemino Mawthoh questioning the Government for inclusion of single mothers in the social assistance scheme from the Government (ST Mar 17, 2015) As per his logic, this will encourage cases of divorce and separation. He should actually question why there are so many single mothers in the state of Meghalaya. He being a local should know the real reason. No right thinking woman will divorce her husband or ask for separation just to get the social assistance scheme from the Government. Wake up Mr Jemino Mawthoh and talk something sensible; don’t object for the same sake of objection. Mawthoh wanted to know the reason for inclusion of single mothers under the social assistance scheme. I will give him the reply. The reason is, many single mothers lost their dear husbands or are separated from their husbands because of alcoholism. Liquor has ruined many families in our state and our NGOs turn their blinds eyes to this burning issue. I congratulate the Social Welfare Minister M/s Deborah C Marak for her prompt reply. Being a woman, she knows the suffering of another woman. In the next election I pray that more women are elected to the assembly and perhaps we even a female CM!
Yours etc.,
Felicia Pariat,
Shillong-3
No Gandhian truth
Editor,
I write to express my gratitude for Garga Chatterji’s excellent article, “No Gandhian Truth in this Reconciliation,” (ST Mar 17, 2015). I am grateful for the moral reasoning expressed in this article. If bearing colonial grudges for too long (as in the case of Robert Mugabe) is a problem, so is forgetting genocides too soon.
Yours etc.,
Deepa Majumdar,
Via email