This would cost the government 10 crore rupees. Further the governmnet would bear the interest on the bank loans offered to the physically challenged people to start their own business.

Ms Jayalalithaa has time and again been extending various sops to the physically challenged to enable them to lead a normal life like everyone else.

At present, training centres meant for the visually impaired children under the age of six years are functioning in Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Madurai, Krishnagiri and Tirunelveli. The government has allotted 22.9 lakh rupees to these centres for the year 2011-2012 to continue with their excellent services.

Following the success of the scheme, it has been proposed to open such centres in Chennai, Coimbatore, Theni, Dindigul, Trichy, Erode, Kanyakumari, Nammakkal, Ramanathapuram, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri,Kanchipuram, Karur, Nagapattinam,Perambalur, Sivagangai, Virudhunagar, Tanjore and Tiruvarur districts at a total cost

of around 35 lakh rupees.

A total of 57 lakh 20 thousand rupees would be extended to these centres.

Moreover, those helping visually impaired children to reach these training centres would be provided with traveling allowance of 40 rupees as against the existing 20 rupees.

Similarly, for persons handicapped by loss of limbs, the government has been providing electrically operated scooters with 4 wheels. Now at the request of students, employed and self employed persons with the disability, the chief minister has decided to provide  4 such wheeler scooters, driven on petrol to 400  persons at a cost of 2 crore rupees. Ms Jayalalithaa said students would be given priority.

Hearing impaired students will be provided 10,000 rupees worth modern hearing aids to replace the existing ones and 1000 students studying from Class VI to college will be covered under this scheme.This would cost the governmnet 1 crore rupees.

On the job front, Ms Jayalalithaa ordered expansion of the technical training centres, which provide lodging and boarding for the physically challenged. These centres are run by voluntary organisations. Ms Jayalalithaa has ordered extension of these services to 20 more districts in the state as against the existing 12 districts. Each training centre would have an intake of 75 persons. There would be a total of 2400 beneficiaries.

This would cost the government 74 lakh 88 thousand rupees.

Further, the government would bear the interest on the bank loans offered through cooperatives to the physically challenged people to start their own business, Ms Jayalalithaa said. The cooperatives have offered 10 crore rupees to them so far.

A majority of the 10 TB sanatorium buildings built 38 years ago are in bad shape. The government has taken a decision to revamp them. As a first step the governmnet rehabilitation centre in Paranur would be rebuilt at a cost of 1.61 crore rupees. Further the centres at A Pudupatti and Pudukottai would be renovated at a cost of 1.8 crore rupees each.

This would cost the government a total of 5 crore 21 lakh and 82 thousand rupees.
These sops would foster better standards of living for the physically challenged people, Ms Jayalalithaa noted.