Rs. 1700 crore to develop NISH into a University

Thiruvananthapuram: Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Tawarchand Gehlot has assured all assistance from the Centre for ensuring empowerment of handicapped persons in Kerala.

The Minister said that the Centre had earmarked Rs. 1700 crore for elevating the National Institute for Speech and Hearing (NISH) at Akkulam in Thiruvananthapuram to a University in ten years. Rs. 485 crore would be spent in the first phase. And the classes would begin in the next academic year. About four thousand students could be taught and given training here in speech and hearing.

Talking to mediapersons in Kerala after having talks with State Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Mr. Gehlot said the Centre is giving top priority for the empowerment of disabled persons and a number of projects are underway in this regard.

A subsidy of Rs.2500 per motorised tricycle would be made available to the State for providing tricycles to persons having eighty per cent disability.  The tricycle costs about Rs. 35000 and the balance could be met through Corporate Social Responsibility Fund or through MPLAD fund.

The Union Minister said the Centre is now giving Rs. Six lakh per child for cochlear implants. If needed, the amount could be increased.

Earlier in the morning, the Union Minister went to NISH complex and visited various departments of the Institute including audiometry , computer lab and cochlear implant unit . He also interacted with the students and faculty of NISH and assured them all possible help for realising the university at the earliest. Former Union Cabinet Secretary and State Planning Board Vice Chairman Mr. K.M. Chandrasekhar and NISH Director Mr. G. Vijayaraghavan accompanied the Minister.