SHILLONG: Meghalaya is a state which either has no policy for most departments or the policies are announced according to the whims and fancies of the government. The implementation of such policies is crippled by delays. The Meghalaya Policy for the Disabled has not been implemented even after nine years of its drafting.
Sajjad M Ali, administrator of Dwar Jingkyrmen, a school for children in need of special education in Shillong told a group of reporters that the policy for the disabled was drafted in 2007 and circulated in 2010 but it has not been passed.
“Last time when we raised the issue, we came to know that the policy is with the Cabinet,” he said, adding government usually convenes meetings to discuss issues pertaining to people with disability but those meetings don’t result in any decision being taken.
Ali also said that the three per cent reservation policy for people with disability is followed only on paper and added that the Act for the Disabled is one of the best but the question is whether the Act would be implemented in letter and spirit.
According to Ali, the need of the hour is for the government to ensure that people with disability are provided with all facilities such as ramps and lifts so that they don’t face any hurdles in their day to day life.
It may be mentioned that Dwar Jingkyrmen was started in 1986 after Ali’s younger daughter was diagnosed with profound mental and physical disability.
“When we took our daughter to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, doctors told us that she would not live for more than 3 years but today she is 44 years old,” he said.
He said word about the school spread around in Shillong and many families came forward to enrol their children and in this way, the institute now has over 100 children.
The school has classes from nursery to V and there are plans to upgrade it to Class XII level.
Ali, however, rued that the school faces a financial crunch every month and is totally dependent on charity.
He added that the school was getting 90 per cent funds from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment but currently it receives only 26 per cent of the total fund requirement.
“To add to that, we get funds very late,” he said.
