New Care Centers for Children with Intellectual Disabilities to Be Established

Speedy Summary

• Respite Care Centres: The Social Justice department will soon launch Respite Care Centres at three locations in Kerala to temporarily accommodate children with serious intellectual disabilities, providing relief for families needing short-term care options.
• Rehabilitation Villages: Plans are underway to establish three rehabilitation villages equipped with therapy facilities for children with severe intellectual disabilities. A pilot project will begin in one district with the aim of scaling statewide.
• Support Expansion: Block-level Sahajeevanam extension centres are being planned to provide ongoing support and care for intellectually challenged children and their parents.
• Aswasakiranam Scheme Aid: Between 2022 and 2024-25,₹117 crore was disbursed as aid under this scheme for persons with autism and cerebral palsy. For the fiscal year 2025-26, ₹50 crore has been allocated, of which ₹11 crore has already been disbursed.
• Pending Applications: There are 71,231 pending applications under the Aswasakiranam scheme (as of November 2024) awaiting approval as financial conditions improve.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The initiatives announced by the Kerala government reflect a growing recognition of the challenges faced by families caring for individuals with serious intellectual disabilities. Establishing Respite Care Centres and rehabilitation villages may provide essential support infrastructure that enables parents to manage responsibilities while addressing therapy needs efficiently. Piloting projects before statewide rollouts demonstrates a pragmatic approach that could improve policy implementation.

The important allocation under the Aswasakiranam scheme underscores government commitment toward disability welfare; however, it also highlights gaps-pending applications reaching over 70,000 suggest administrative or budgetary constraints still need attention. Expanding training centers with modern facilities could enhance long-term employment or independence prospects but may require sustained investment beyond current allocations.While these steps can offer relief on some fronts, ensuring timely disbursement of aid and scaling accomplished pilots across districts remain critical challenges that need careful monitoring to meet growing demands in this sector effectively.

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