The Department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) in Odisha has taken strict action against district-level officers for negligence in a critical state-wide exercise. The department has issued showcause notices to the District Social Security Officers (DSSOs) of six districts for their failure to initiate a survey aimed at identifying children with disabilities.
Six Districts Lag Behind in Critical Child Identification Drive
The errant officers are from Bargarh, Boudh, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Nuapada, and Rayagada districts. This marks the first time the Odisha government has undertaken a comprehensive survey to locate children with disabilities in the 0 to 6 years age group across all 30 districts. The initiative is designed to bring every such child under the government's social security and educational umbrella.
The survey was launched in October this year, leveraging the network of Anganwadi workers and supervisors, child protection officers, and social welfare officers. However, even after two and a half months, the DSSOs of the six named districts have not started the survey or provided any data on identified children to the SSEPD headquarters.
Strict Deadline and Zero-Rejection Mandate
The department has now directed all DSSOs to complete the survey of children with disabilities in every village and urban local body ward by December 30. Officers must also submit a completion and authentication certificate to the department.
The directive comes with a stern warning: the process must ensure zero rejection of children with disabilities from any Anganwadi centre area. The department has stated that the exclusion of even a single child, if discovered later, will be viewed seriously and will invite appropriate disciplinary action as per rules.
In the showcause notices, Additional Secretary Bhaskar Raito pointed out that the SSEPD department has created a specialised portal for data entry. While other districts have begun uploading their information, these six districts have failed to do so.
Beyond Identification: A Path to Support and Inclusion
This survey is a landmark effort, as the only existing data was from Census 2011, which recorded 12,44,402 Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in the state, without specific focus on young children. A senior official explained that post-identification, the government will take steps for early diagnosis, medical support, registration for Unique Disability IDs, and ensuring school enrolment and access to other welfare schemes.
The survey covers all 21 categories of disabilities listed under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Anganwadi functionaries, supervised by the DSSOs, are the key field operatives, with each worker being provided Rs 500 for conducting the survey.
The department's action underscores its commitment to creating an accurate database and ensuring that no young child with a disability is left out of the state's support system.
