The Landmine Ban Campaign of Nepal (NCBL) organized a discussion program on "Budget: services, facilities and rights of the victims of landmines and explosives and people with all kinds of disabilities" on 18 June 2021. In the meeting Honorable minister of health and population ministry and coordinator Parliamentary Forum against Landmines and Explosives (PFaLE) Mr. Sher Bahadur Tamang, Dr. Padma Prasad Khatiwada- Vice President of Social Welfare Council, Dr. Suresh Malla-former member of parliament, Dr. Birendra Kumar Pokharel-Country coordinator Abilis Foundation , survivors-Tulsi Pariyar, Krishna Bahadur Ghishing, Surendra KC, Krishna Adhikari, Dudhraj Adhikari delivered speeches. One behalf of NCBL Purna Shova Chitrakar presented the provision and allocation of budget and guidelines of Oslo Action Plan on VA assistance. The following are some of the points raised in the meeting.
1. Priority should be given to persons with disabilities in vaccination against covid -19 and the place of vaccination should be disability friendly.
2. People with disabilities from landmines and IEDs need to take medicine for a long time and to check regularly. The government should provide these facilities free of cost.
3. As people with disabilities do not have easy access to assistive devices, they should be provided easily and free of charge.
4. Prostheses should be provided free of cost and easily. As it needs to be replaced, make it available as needed.
5. Even after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 2006, civilians including children became victims from landmines and explosives. The government is providing services and facilities only to the persons with disabilities due to the conflict from 1996 to 2006, services and facilities should be provided to the persons with disabilities who became victims after CPA due to abandoned explosives from the ten year conflict.
6. People in army and police services injured by landmines and explosives and disabled during the conflict have been receiving regular salaries from the government. The rebels are receiving subsistence allowances by the government. The civilian survivors who were not part of that conflict, are not getting that facility. The facility should be given to all civilian victims without any discrimination.
7. The survivors of landmines and IEDs lost employment and business and deterioration of their economic life. Arrangements should be made for them to have proper economic development and employment.
8. Arrangement should be made for the identity cards of the people with disabilities due to landmines and explosives. Services and facilities should be provided to them on the basis of identity cards.
9. By distributing red, blue, yellow and white cards to the persons with disabilities in four categories and providing social security allowance only to those who get red cards, under the pressure of the persons with disabilities, social security allowance was also provided to those with blue cards by the prime minister. Provision should be made for the social protection of persons with disabilities by law rather than the care of individuals.
10. Physical structures should be made disability friendly. In this regard, local governments should also be responsible as well as the central government.
11. Although the central budget addresses the issue of persons with disabilities, most local governments are unaware of the need to allocate budgets for persons with disabilities. There should be awareness among them and the adequate budget should be allocated at the local level as well.
12. Although the budget addresses the issue of persons with disabilities to promote the services, facilities and rights of persons with disabilities on the basis of guidelines of the constitution, allocating around 0.9 percent in the size of the budget is not enough to solve the problem of persons with disabilities as a whole. It is necessary to increase the size of the budget.
13. The Government of Nepal must accede to the Mine Ban Treaty (Ottawa Treaty) immediately and assist the victims as guided by Oslo Action Plan.
14. To provide services, facilities and protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities various commissions and ministries should make proper plans, budget allocations and implement effectively.
15. To provide services, facilities and protect and promote rights of survivors through the constitutional, policy and legal process rather than the kindness and love of the individual for the sustainable victim assistance.
In addition, this year's budget of the government has included the following points mentioned for persons with disabilities and persons with disabilities.
Nepal: Budget Speech 2021/022 (Google translation)
Social security and protection
78. I have increased the amount of child protection grant provided to the children… of disabled and deprived families by one third.
80. Feasibility study will be done for the establishment of disability rehabilitation centers in all the states. Treatment services for children with intellectual disabilities will be made easy and effective. I have given continuity to the arrangement of providing grants to the organization producing the accessories used by the persons with disabilities. Public physical infrastructure, infrastructure and means of transportation will be made disability friendly.
Women, children and senior citizens
86. Programs for income generation, capacity building and empowerment of women and adolescents ….with disabilities will be conducted.
Quality education:
213. Disaster sensitive and disability friendly educational infrastructure will be constructed.
223. I have allocated a budget for scholarships to protect the right of …persons with disabilities to education.
224. Arrangements will be made for the blind children to get education with the help of modern technology including Braille textbooks. One special school will be established in each state with accommodation facilities for the students with intellectual disability.
Law and justice
386. The free legal aid program operated in 47 districts for …the disabled persons who do not have access to justice will be extended to all the districts in the coming Fiscal Year. I have made an arrangement to advocate on behalf of the victims in all the districts of the country.
390. Support, respect and protection will be provided by documenting all the people's movements, armed struggles and martyrs' families who have sacrificed their lives during the revolution for the advancement of democratic change in Nepal, the families of the disappeared, the warriors of democracy, victims of conflict and displaced persons with disabilities. People affected by armed conflict will be encouraged to become self-employed by providing soft loans.