Former Deputy Prime Minister Ch Pervaiz Elahi sings his glory

Lahore: Pakistan Muslim League (PML) senior central leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Ch Pervez Elahi has said that revolutionary facilities including free education, equipments, transport, stipends, special quota in all departments and educational institutions for the special persons were provided by our govt for the first time in Punjab.

He said this while talking to a delegation of parents of special children which had come to express gratitude to him in connection with the Special Day for Handicapped Persons at his residence here.

Ch Parvez Elahi said that importance was also given to the special children and persons in the programme which we had chalked out for prosperity, progress and welfare of the poor and common man on assuming the power, our govt had established talking computer laboratories, low vision centres and audio clinics for the blind, deaf and dumb persons, blind cricket team was provided special patronage and facilities which had become the world champion while special children education institutions in the private sector were also given technical and financial assistance, institutions of international standards for education and training of the special children were established, for the first time autonomous institution for education of the handicapped was set up under which 119 special education schools and centres were established in the public sector down to the tehsil level between 2002 to 2007, first degree college for them was started in Lahore in 2004 and also established in Bahawalpur, in these educational institutions besides special training for teaching and other staff salaries and other benefits were also given double than the general educational institutions, special brail books, hearing aids, wheel chair and Rs 200 monthly stipend for the first time was also started for the special children, budget allocation for special education was increased by more than 200 per cent, for the first time a blind woman was appointed as the operator in the Chief Minister’s House, best opportunities for recreational activities were provided to the handicapped youth and construction of ramps in govt buildings was also made compulsory for facilitating coming and going of the handicapped persons.