Govt to open 10+2 schools for disabled in nine divisions: Minister

Patna: Social welfare minister Madan Sahani on Wednesday informed the state assembly that the govt has decided to open one 10+2 standard school for children with disabilities in each of the nine divisions of the state from the 2026-27 financial year. Each school will have a capacity of 500 students.He added that the state at present has 72,204 people living with AIDS, and they are getting Rs1,500 per month each under the social security scheme. Similarly, 14,461 leprosy patients were also being covered by the scheme, and each is paid Rs1,500 per month. The children studying at Aanganwadi Kendras would get uniforms from April this year, he added.Sahani was giving the govt’s reply to the House debate held on the allotment for his department from the third supplementary budget for the 2025-26 fiscal.The allotment for the third supplementary budget is Rs12,165.43 crore, including Rs9,586.39 crore under the scheme (plan) head and Rs2,579.04 crore earmarked to meet the cost of committed expenditure (like salary, pensions and family pensions). It, along with the allotment for the social welfare department, was passed by voice vote later.He added that the govt would pay the disabled students Rs50,000 as monetary assistance for the preparation of final BPSC examinations after they clear the preliminary tests, and Rs1 lakh for the UPSC final examinations. Besides, those interested would also be covered by the CM Udyami Yojana under which each would get Rs5 lakh as subsidy and Rs5 lakh as loan repayable in 84 instalments to start their economic activity.Noting that the govt, under the leadership of CM Nitish Kumar, has substantially increased the social security pensions, Sahani pulled up the erstwhile RJD govts for not doing much.Later, moving the appropriation bill pertaining to the third supplementary budget for 2025-26 fiscal, finance minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said Rs3,483 crore would be utilised as capital expenditure to create infrastructure assets. The budget was passed by voice vote, while the opposition members walked out of the House for the remarks made by Sahani against the RJD.