Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra on Thursday proposed setting up a call centre to verify whether endosulfan victims are receiving their monthly stipend or not.
During a meeting called to review relief measures of endosulfan victims, Dr. Rajendra said though some with more than 25% disability were receiving stipend every month, there were a good number who are not aware about the amount deposited in their account. There are some persons who are facing issues in receiving the amount. There was no system at present to check the receipt of the stipend by victims.
Dr. Rajendra asked officials to set up a call centre to call the persons every month to inquire about receiving the stipend. If they are not getting stipend, action should be taken forthwith to ensure deposit of the amount and the action so taken should be informed to victims. If victims are not aware about deposit of the amount, the call centre should inform them about the date the stipend has been deposited.
The Deputy Commissioner referred to his recent visit to Nettanige Mudnur of Puttur taluk where family members of three endosulfan victims told him they were not receiving stipend. “When records were checked we found there was no break in payment of stipend. The victims were unaware about the deposit,” he said.
Dr. Rajendra asked officials to ensure that stipend released by the government reaches the victim on time. If there is any delay in payment of stipend, officials concerned will be held responsible, he said.
There are a total of 4,412 endosulfan victims in Dakshina Kannada of which 3,653 with more than 25% disability are receiving monthly stipend. While 2,718 with more than 60% disability receive stipend of ₹3,000, 935 persons with disability between 25% and 60% receive stipend of ₹1,500. From July, this amount has been revised to ₹4,000 and ₹2,000 respectively.
Zilla Panchayat CEO Kumara said more than 80% of physically-challenged persons in the district, including endosulfan victims, have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. If there are bed-ridden victims, arrangements should be made to jab at their houses, he said.
