Lucknow. There’s good news for students with disabilities studying in council schools in Uttar Pradesh. For the first time, an escort allowance has been established to alleviate the difficulties faced by severely and multiple disabled children in commuting to school. Under this scheme, eligible disabled students will receive financial assistance of ₹600 per month.
Approximately 14,152 disabled students in the state will benefit from this scheme. Students will receive this assistance not for one or two months, but for 10 months. Consequently, each eligible student can receive a total of ₹6,000 per academic year. A budget of approximately ₹8.49 crore has been provided by the Project Advisory Board for this scheme.
The cost of reaching school will be less
Attending school regularly can often be a significant challenge for children with disabilities. Severe disabilities or mobility issues often result in additional expenses for parents to transport them to school and back home after school. The escort allowance aims to alleviate this financial burden.
These disabled students will get benefits
The eligibility criteria for the escort allowance include students with severe disabilities. These include children with total visual impairment, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, and multiple disabilities, as well as eligible students affected by JE and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES). This assistance will apply to eligible students with disabilities studying in council primary, upper primary, and composite schools.
The amount will be credited to the parents’ account
The escort allowance amount will be transferred to the Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of the students’ parents via DBT. This will ensure direct transfer of the assistance amount to the bank account and maintain transparency in the payment process. The Directorate General of School Education has issued the necessary orders in this regard. The process of identifying eligible students and providing them with benefits will be carried forward at the relevant level.
Emphasis will be placed on regular attendance
An important objective of the Escort Allowance is not only to provide financial assistance but also to increase regular school attendance for children with disabilities. Often, due to transportation and financial constraints, children are unable to attend school regularly. In such situations, this government assistance can provide financial relief to parents and help them continue their children’s education.