Fund squeeze pushes Prayaas to the brink

Aarti Kapur

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 30

Prayaas, North India’s only rehabilitation centre offering medical and educational services to differently-abled children in Chandigarh, is facing a tough time after the Chandigarh Administration reduced its budget in a recently held meeting.

Prayaas is the only centre in north India that not only provides medical aid to special children but also extends educational services to slow learners.

Notably, the authorities have not bothered to fill the posts that lay pending at the centre for the past six months. Moreover, at the recent executive meeting of the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW), it was decided to cut down the salaries of the existing staff.

The Chandigarh Administration proposed that the special educator for children with learning disability, who is at present getting Rs 25,000 per month, should be given Rs 17,509 per month as per the DC rates. Similarly, a lecturer at the cerebral palsy school will be given Rs 17,509 per month rather than the Rs 25,000, that they are getting at present.

Surprisingly, the authorities also decided to abolish the post of the psychologist, who on an average looks after 35 to 40 outdoor patients, 15 students with learning disability and 40 mentally challenged children every day. In fact, the authorities decided that the salary of the psychologist, which is Rs 30,000 per month at present, should be cut down to Rs 18,776 per month.

The authorities also decided to do away with the post of the paediatrician, essential for the assessment of disability. The post of a library attendant and a special educator (lecturer for cerebral palsy course) have already been scrapped on the pretext that the first-year course of cerebral palsy had been discontinued.

The Administration has even failed to fill the vacant posts of an occupational therapist and four full-time teachers required for various sections at Prayaas. The post of the honorary director of Paryaas, held by Dr RK Gupta, has been downgraded. He has now been appointed as a technical expert.

Recently, the charge of the administrative officer was given to a Municipal Corporation employee, who is on leave for the next ten days.

The authorities have also imposed a cut in the DA given to the employees from 48 per cent to 9 per cent per year, which was duly sanctioned by former UT Adviser KK Sharma. It was decided that the authorities will follow the past practice of giving three per cent DA every year to its employees, instead of 10 per cent, which was being offered till recently.

Centre’s status hangs fire: In 2007, a proposal was approved by the executive committee of the Indian Council for Child Welfare to make Prayaas an autonomous institution. It was approved by the then UT Administrator Gen SF Rodgrigues (retd). Eight years have passed but no action has been taken regarding this.

Fund crunch hits project

The land for Prayaas was allotted by the authorities so that a centre for special children could be developed. Since funds were not sanctioned, the much-needed facilities could not be developed. It seems the Administration is only concerned about revenue generation from the building rather than providing additional facilities like a residential and vocational centre. It has been decided that the fourth floor of the building, kept vacant for future expansion, will now be rented out. Similarly, the construction of a hydrotherapy pool and activity centre for the handicapped, is hanging fire due to fund crunch.

The land for the centre was allotted to the ICCW in 1985 at a cost of Rs 8.24 lakh. The lease amount of Rs 20,608 per month was paid by the ICCW.

Still have faith in authorities

There are serious discrepancies in the recording of the minutes and decisions taken at the recent executive committee meeting. Dr Walia, along with three other members of the executive committee, including Bonny Sodhi, Amar Kulwant Singh and Dr  K Gupta, had recently met UT Adviser Vijay Kumar Dev to express concern on some of the issues, which were proposed in the agenda of the meeting. Dev assured them that he will not allow the implementation of the decisions that adversely hit the functioning of Prayaas. The Adviser also backed the proposal to give an autonomous status to the centre and make budgetary provision for the same in the UT plan head. The progress of Prayaas so far has been due to the supportive attitude of the UT Administration and I have not lost faith in the present Adviser. Prayaas has achieved the present status due to dedicated service by its staff for the past 30 years, which is in danger if concrete steps are not taken to rectify the deficiencies. Two per cent of the children in the country suffer from some or other form of disability. Is the Administration doing its best for these helpless city residents? -- Dr BNS Walia, founder of Prayaas