Insufficient budget allocation in addressing needs of persons with disabilities

Speakers made the remakes while addressing a post-budget reaction meeting titled ‘National Budget 2022-23: Status of persons with disabilities held at Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah Hall of the National Press Club on Monday.

Access Bangladesh Foundation in collaboration with Disability Rights Fund, DCF, NCDW, Sitakund Federation, Turning Point Foundation, WDDF, B-Scan, SDSL, NGDO, VIPS, NOAC, DWS, Porosh Protibandhi Unnayan Sangstha, Rangdhonu Zila Protibandhi Adhikar Sangstha, Spondon Protibandhi Unnayan Sangstha, Narsingdi DOPOD, Joyer Pathe Protibandhi Unnayan Sangstha, BPUS, NADPO, Protik Mohila O Sishu Sangstha, and JPNUS organized the meeting.

Ashrafun Nahar Misti, Executive Director of WDDF, chaired the program and Nasrin Jahan, the Executive Director of DCF, gave the welcome speech.

Albert Mollah, Executive Director of Access Bangladesh Foundation presented an analysis of the proposed national budget for 2022-23 from a disability perspective.

He thanked the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Planning Minister, and Government of Bangladesh for increasing the number of beneficiaries for disability allowance by 3.57 lakh, increasing disability allowance from Tk 750 to Tk 850 monthly, allocating Tk 120 crore for the construction of sports complex for persons with disabilities and Tk 40 crore for cochlear implant program.

He also thanked for abolishing all existing tariffs on the importation of specialized wheelchairs for persons with disabilities, exempting VAT on Braille printing material, reducing import duty on the battery for hearing aid from 25 percent to 5 percent, and amending the existing provisions for employers who employ 10 percent or more than 25 persons with disabilities (the employer will be entitled to get 75 percent of the salary paid to these people or 5 percent of the tax payable, whichever is less, as tax rebate).

This will hamper the inclusive development of persons with disabilities. There is no initiative found for skill development and entrepreneurship development of persons with disabilities in the proposed budget. This budget is fully social welfare ministry cantered. But, in the inclusive development concept, the budget should be allocated ministry-wise. It was not found any reflection in the budget on how to implement national disability action plans, disability laws, and policies.

Salma Mahbub, General Secretary of B-Scan, presented 10 recommendations for reconsideration in the revised budget. Major recommendations are to allocate a minimum monthly disability allowance of Tk 2,000 for each person with a disability, initiate budget allocation for the caregivers of persons with a severe type of disabilities those who need a full-time career,s and increase stipend for at least  2 lakh student with disabilities.

He also recommended initiating a separate stipend program for the students with disabilities in technical education institutions, and provide direction to include persons with disabilities with a special focus on women with disabilities in the different skill development schemes  and entrepreneurship development programs related to women provisioned in the safety-net, allocate budget to increase informational and infrastructural accessibility for persons with disabilities in basic services, exempt VAT and Tax on other necessary assistive devices like a tricycle, scooter,

mobile ramp, white cane, hearing aid, speech to text, text to speech, accessible mobile apps, keyboard, large font printer and screen reading software, exempt all types of VAT and taxes from FDR, DPS, and Sanchyapatra of persons with disabilities, exempt VAT and taxes on manufacturing or importing passenger buses with power or manual ramps, allocate ministry wise budget for inclusive development and allocate budget for implementation of the disability-related national action plan. 

All the speakers in the meeting expressed their solidarity with these demands.

A total of 80 representatives from Non-Government Organizations, International Organizations, journalists, persons with disabilities, civil society, and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) attended the post-budget reaction meeting. Mohua Paul, Chairperson of Access Bangladesh Foundation concludes the meeting with thanks.

Dhaka, 14 June (campuslive24.com)//BIT