President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Thursday afternoon met with a group of visually-impaired and blind people, including parents of such children, to inquire about their concerns. Senior officials of the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) attended the meeting held at the President’s Office.
The allowance for persons with disabilities was one of the topics discussed at the meeting, with participants citing that the allowance is inadequate in comparison to current living conditions and asked the President to find a way to address this issue. They explained to the President that increasing financial assistance would alleviate a number of challenges they face, especially in receiving treatment and therapeutic services.
Officials of NSPA noted that regulations governing the establishment of a comprehensive national registry of persons with disabilities were recently finalised and published. The NSPA is currently in discussion with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services to determine the "disability severity" of the recipients of the allowance and make necessary amendments to the allowance.
Speaking with the participants, President Solih assured them that he would work with the relevant authorities to find amicable solutions to their concerns.
