Panaji: The door-to-door survey of persons with disabilities, the pilot of which was announced earlier only for Sanguem and Bicholim talukas, will now be extended across the state, the department for empowerment of persons with disabilities (DEPwD) has announced. It is carrying out the survey along with the office of the state commissioner for persons with disabilities. The objective of the survey is to identify persons with disabilities and to strengthen the delivery of disability-related welfare schemes and services.The department initially completed the pilot survey in Sanguem and Bicholim talukas, offering field-level inputs on the identification of persons with disabilities and their access to various govt services and entitlements.Building on the experience of the pilot phase, the department is now undertaking the survey in the rest of the state, with a particular focus on comprehensive coverage at the village and local-body level, said DEPwD director Varsha Naik.“The survey is an important step towards reaching particularly those who may not yet be connected with govt services. Through this exercise, we seek to identify gaps, facilitate access to disability certification, UDID cards, welfare schemes, assistive devices and rehabilitation services, and ensure that eligible persons are connected with the entitlements available to them. The success of this initiative will depend on the collective cooperation of families, communities, educational institutions and local self-govt bodies,” said Naik.In South Goa, students of Kare College of Law have been entrusted with the work, and in North Goa, students of Salgaonkar College of Law will undertake the survey across 18 village panchayats and two municipal councils, while survey activities in the remaining areas of Goa will be carried out through institutions and student groups associated with BEd, NCC and NSS under the directorate of higher education. In Canacona, the survey will be carried out by students of Mallikarjun College.“The door-to-door survey is aimed at creating a comprehensive and reliable database of persons with disabilities in Goa. The department will continue to coordinate and monitor the survey process to ensure effective coverage, accuracy of information and timely completion of the exercise,” Naik said.
