Disability Inclusive National Budget 2022-23
Access Bangladesh Foundation and The Daily Star jointly organised a webinar titled ‘Disability Inclusive National Budget 2022-23’ on January 3, 2022. The initiative was supported by Manusher Jonno Foundation and UKaid.
Albert Mollah, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Access Bangladesh Foundation & Moderator of the Session said that Access Bangladesh Foundation has been campaigning since 2014 and advocating making the national budget disability-inclusive. This year the discussion has been organized earlier so that the policymakers have enough time to take our recommendations into consideration.
M A Mannan, Honourable Minister of Planning, Ministry of Planning was the chief guest. He said that the existing budget for persons with disabilities is inadequate. It amounts to only 0.375 percent of our total budget. Therefore, we need to ensure that the allocation for persons with disabilities is increased in the next budget. Support should be provided to those who are caregivers for persons with disabilities. If we can keep all these points in mind, we can establish a successful and sustainable budget, and I believe we will achieve it very soon. Now, the country is better off economically. And so, we should increase the allowance for persons with disabilities, so that they not only survive, but also thrive.
Nazrana Yesmin Hira, Program Coordinator, Manusher Jonno Foundation, Shamsuddoza Sajen, Commercial Supplements Editor, The Daily Star, Khandaker Jahurul Alam, Executive Director, Centre for Services and Information on Disability (CSID), Dr. Salina Akhter, Secretary General, National Forum of Organizations Working with the Disabled (NFOWD), Murteza Rafi Khan, CEO, Bangladesh Business and Disability Network, Julian Francis, Development and Disability consultant, Vashkar Bhattacharjee, National Consultant, a2i, Salma Mahbub, General Secretary, Protibondhi Nagorik Shangathaner Parishad (PNSP), Jowaherul Islam Mamun, Mentor, SWID Bangladesh and Md Abdullah, General Member, Society of the Deaf and Sign Language Users (SDSL) were actively presented and provided important recommendations which are given below:
- The social model of disability needs to be adopted in preparing budget and development plans.
- Design a disability-inclusive national budget and allocate more resources for persons with disabilities.
- Increase the amount of disability allowance. Instead of providing the same amount to all persons with disabilities, the government should establish a system so that the allowance is proportionate to the needs of the person with disability
- Provide a separate allowance to caregivers of persons with severe disabilities
- Design a special insurance scheme for persons with disabilities, that has a provision for financing assistive devices such as hearing aid, wheelchairs, smartphones, etc.
- Provide stipends to all students with disabilities.
- Ensure a comprehensive quota for persons with disabilities in educational institutions and workplaces.
- Collect accurate data on the population of persons with disabilities in Bangladesh.
- Provide sign language training to schoolteachers.
- Make resources such as the multimedia talking book accessible for everyone.
- Assistive devices and equipment for persons with disabilities should be tax-free.
