Chennai: Thousands of protesters gathered in front of Chennai Central Railway Station and Koyambedu Bus Terminus demanding the state government to increase monthly pension on par with neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Tuesday. Based on the protest, Tamil Nadu Minister Geetha Jeevan assured that the state would consider the demand following which the disabled persons dispersed on Tuesday.
According to a report on Times of India, around 3.98 lakh disabled persons in Tamil Nadu receive a monthly pension of Rs 1,000 each. However, the people with disabilities have been demanding the government to increase the pension on par with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to Rs 3,000.
On Tuesday, as the authorities reportedly kept turning a deaf ear, the disability rights organisation, activists and disabled persons called for a protest in Chennai.
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However, due to the protest call, police started to stop many disabled persons from traveling to Chennai from Madurai, Salem, Thanjavur, Erode and Tirupur on Monday. The railways also refused to provide tickets to them and they were detained and kept in a marriage hall until the wee hours of Tuesday, the report quoted Namburajan of TN Association for Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers as saying.
Further, he said, none of the governments have ill-treated them like this in the past and it was their constitutional right to stage a protest.
Following the protest, Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Minister P Geetha Jeevan said, the government was ready to meet the demands of the protestors.
A meet with disability welfare group members would be organised soon, they said.
She also recalled that TN CM Stalin from the time of taking office had been providing free commute for disabled persons and several aids to them.
Taking the Minister's assurance into consideration, the protesters dispersed from the place.