Reservation in Shop Allotments Raised to 5%; Pension, Assistive Device Support and Accessibility Measures Reviewed
Lucknow: The eighth meeting of the Uttar Pradesh State Advisory Board on Disability was held on Tuesday at the Yojana Bhawan in Lucknow under the chairmanship of Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Narendra Kashyap. The meeting focused on strengthening the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, promoting inclusive development, and reviewing the implementation of welfare schemes across departments.
The meeting began with Principal Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Rajesh Kumar Singh, welcoming the minister. Senior representatives from several government departments, educational institutions, and disability rights organisations participated in the deliberations.
Addressing the meeting, Kashyap said the State Advisory Board plays a key role in monitoring the implementation of disability rights, evaluating government policies and programmes, and ensuring that eligible beneficiaries receive welfare benefits in a transparent and timely manner. He also reviewed the action taken on decisions made during the previous board meeting.
The minister said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the department to organise awareness and outreach camps at divisional and district levels to ensure that eligible persons with disabilities are informed about government welfare schemes and are able to access them without difficulty. He asked District Disability Welfare Officers to actively monitor implementation at the grassroots level.
Among the major policy decisions discussed, the minister directed that the reservation for persons with disabilities in the allotment of shops by development authorities, including the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) and other industrial development authorities, be increased from 3 percent to 5 percent. The board also reviewed the status of reservation and priority for persons with disabilities in the allotment of fair price shops under the Public Distribution System.
The meeting noted that the monthly disability maintenance pension has been enhanced to ₹1,000, with 10,44,022 eligible beneficiaries covered during the 2026–27 financial year so far. The leprosy pension continues to be provided at ₹3,000 per month, benefiting 13,734 recipients during the current financial year.
The board also approved converting the existing financial assistance of ₹20,000 for shop construction and ₹10,000 for business operations into a full grant, making it easier for beneficiaries to establish self-employment ventures.
To strengthen rehabilitation support, the ceiling for financial assistance for artificial limbs and assistive devices has been increased to ₹15,000. The list of eligible devices has been expanded to include smartphones, tablets, and DAISY players. Persons aged 16 years and above with 80 percent or higher disability will be eligible for grants of up to ₹25,000. The department has also set a target of distributing 15 motorised tricycles in each district during the current financial year.
The minister reviewed educational initiatives for children with disabilities, noting that the state currently operates 21 special schools and seven integrated special secondary schools. Students with visual impairments are being educated through the Braille system, while scholarships for eligible students have been increased to ₹4,000 per month.
The department also runs 25 early childhood day-care centres for children aged three to seven years with visual, hearing, and intellectual disabilities. These centres currently serve 1,431 registered children.
Kashyap reiterated that the state government’s objective extends beyond financial assistance to ensuring that persons with disabilities have access to quality education, skill development, employment opportunities, rehabilitation services, and meaningful participation in society. He directed officials to organise regular special camps for registration, medical assessment, distribution of assistive devices, and awareness generation, particularly in remote areas.
The meeting also emphasised simplifying procedures for obtaining Unique Disability Identity (UDID) cards, disability certificates, rehabilitation services, and other welfare benefits through transparent online and offline systems.
The minister further directed departments to accelerate efforts to make public infrastructure accessible by conducting accessibility audits of identified government buildings and implementing necessary modifications, including ramps, handrails, accessible toilets, tactile pathways, signage, and other barrier-free facilities to ensure easy access for persons with disabilities.
The meeting was attended by MLC Dhruv Tripathi, MLAs Devendra Pratap Singh and Ramveer Singh, Principal Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Joint Directors Amit Singh and Ranjit Singh, senior officials from departments including Higher Education, School Education, Health, Finance, Rural Development, Urban Development, Labour, Transport, Food and Civil Supplies, Revenue, and IT & Electronics, as well as experts in the field of disability, representatives of voluntary organisations, and senior government officials.
