'Rights of disabled persons guaranteed under Mahinda Chinthanaya'
Nadira GUNATILLEKE
Under the Mahinda Chinthana programme, destitute families with
disabled persons have been identified and are being paid a monthly
allowance of Rs.3,000 to meet their basic needs, Social Services and
Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda said.
Minister Devananda was addressing the National ceremony organised to
mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities held at the SLFI,
Colombo 7 yesterday. He said that the National Council for Persons with
Disabilities chaired by him always works very closely with other
ministries and NGOs to protect the rights of persons with disabilities.
Minister Devananda said several measures have been taken by the
Social Services and Social Welfare Ministry and the National Council for
Persons with Disabilities to protect the dignity and ensure justice for
all disabled persons.
A draft Bill has been already formulated and it will be presented to
Parliament within a short period. This Bill recognizes that
discrimination against any person on the basis of disability is a
violation of the dignity of the person.
Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said that in 1998, an Act was
passed making it compulsory for all children between the ages of 5 and
14 to attend school and education will be made compulsory soon for all
Sri Lankan children between the ages of 5 and 16 which will enable them
to study up to the Ordinary Level. The main intention of the Government
is increasing the percentage of children attending schools to 100 per
cent. Minister Premajayantha said that there is a specific paragraph in
the Mahinda Chinthanaya about persons with disabilities and that all
Ministries should work together for the well being of persons with
disabilities. First of all we have to accept that the disabled have the
same rights just as normal persons and only after accepting it can we
act for their welfare. |