Early intervention key to empowering children with disabilities: Union Minister Athawale

Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Wednesday stressed the importance of early intervention, regular health screening and timely support services for children with disabilities to ensure their holistic development and inclusion in society.

During his one-day visit to Odisha, Athawale chaired a comprehensive review meeting with senior officials of various state government departments to assess the implementation of welfare, social justice and empowerment programmes across the state.

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The Minister reviewed initiatives aimed at the welfare of persons with disabilities and was informed that 90,283 beneficiaries in Odisha are currently receiving pensions under central government-supported schemes. Discussions also focused on the functioning of special schools for differently-abled students, implementation of reservation benefits, and measures to strengthen educational opportunities and empowerment for persons with disabilities.

Athawale also reviewed schemes being implemented for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), with particular emphasis on scholarships, access to higher education and reservation in employment.

He underscored the need to ensure that welfare schemes effectively reach eligible beneficiaries and contribute to their socio-economic advancement.

Senior officials from the Department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD), the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department, the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, and the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation briefed the Minister on the progress of various public welfare programmes.

During the meeting, officials informed Athawale that Odisha has recently enhanced reservation for Scheduled Tribes to 22.5 per cent and for Scheduled Castes to 16.25 per cent. The state has also introduced 11.25 per cent reservation for students from Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs) from the current academic year.

The Union Minister appreciated the state’s initiatives to provide financial assistance to victims of mob violence and observed that awareness regarding constitutional and legal rights among SC and ST communities has been steadily increasing.

Officials further informed him that under a central government-supported scheme promoting social integration, inter-caste married couples are being provided an incentive of Rs 2.5 lakh. As many as 4,958 couples benefited from the scheme during the financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26, they said.