BMC launches financial assistance scheme for differently-abled persons

Mumbai, Jul 24 (PTI) The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched the 'Dharmveer Anand Dighe Divyang Arthik Sahayata Yojana' to provide financial assistance to differently-abled persons.

Around 60,000 persons having 40 to 80 percent disability will receive assistance ranging from Rs 6,000 to Rs 18,000 every six months for the next five years under the scheme, an official release said on Wednesday.

The BMC will provide monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 to those with 40 percent disability and Rs 3,000 to those with 80 percent disability.

The persons with disabilities such as blindness, deafness, orthopedic, mental retardation and other types of disabilities can avail of this scheme.

The civic body has allocated Rs 111.83 crore for the scheme over the next five years, the release said.

The scheme, conceived by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, aims to improve the standard of living of differently-abled persons, it said.

To avail of the scheme, a person should be residing in BMC limits and must have a yellow or blue Universal ID card (UDID CARD), the release said, adding that the application process has started and interested persons can download the application form from the BMC website.

Anand Dighe, a late Shiv Sena leader, was considered to be the mentor of chief minister Shinde during the early stages of Shinde's political career.

The BMC, the country's richest civic body, is currently under the state government's control as civic elections are pending. PTI KK KRK