Reasons to cheer for people living with HIV/AIDS in Delhi

Ananya Panda

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 7

There are reasons to cheer for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIVs) and those with special needs in the national capital.

The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday approved proposals to double the financial assistance to the PLHIVs and for the people with special needs scrapped the age bar making them eligible for lifelong aid if the conditions under which they are receiving the aid remains unchanged.

The decisions, which were taken in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during the day here, as per Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia would not require sanction from the Delhi Lt Governor.

Sharing the news on Twitter, Social Welfare Department Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said, “Happy to announce that cabinet took an important and significant decision regrading the disability pension today. Now they will not be categorised udner old age pension scheme, rather they will get enhanced amount Rs 2500 under the Disability Pension Scheme even after attain the age of 60 (sic).”

The developments come a week after the Aam Aadmi Party government decided to delink the requirement of Aadhaar for all beneficiaries covered under various pension schemes in the capital with effect from April this year in view of a large number of people facing issues in availing the enhanced amount under various schemes due to technical issues in Aadhaar seeding.

The pension assistance for people/children living with HIV/AIDs on Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) in Delhi has been enhanced from the present Rs 1000 to Rs 2,000 for each beneficiary whereas in case of HIV/AIDS infected orphan children and destitute children infected with the disease in institutional care the aid to be provided henceforth to each stands at Rs 4,100 from Rs 2,050.

For those falling under the category of orphan children affected by HIV/AIDS the assistance has been increased from Rs Rs 1,750 to Rs 3,500.

Under the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), a total of 27,250 people living with the disease are on ART till end of March this year as per the record of the 11 ART centres located in the major government hospitals in Delhi.

The Social Welfare Department had also proposed for doing away with the age restriction on financial assistance to individuals with special needs. With the Cabinet’s nod all differently-abled people in the national capital can avail the benefit even after they turn 60.

Under the previous system, eligible persons with disabilities having an annual family income not more than Rs one lakh get the grant from the city’s Department of Social Welfare.

The disability scheme covers persons with blindness, low vision, locomotor disability, hearing impaired, leprosy cured, cerebral palsy, autism, mental retardation and mental illness.

But it is to be remembered that the beneficiary will not be eligible for pension under more than one scheme among the three schemes for the old age, persons with disability and pension to women in distress.