Bill on special children’s welfare rejected
Trinamool's Umroi MLA George Lyngdoh had proposed the bill
Shillong, Mar 10: The Assembly on Thursday rejected the bill for the welfare of children with disabilities that was proposed by the opposition.
AITC legislator from Umroi George B Lyngdoh had proposed the Meghalaya Compulsory Protection of Welfare of Children with Special Needs Bill, 2022. However, it was rejected through voice vote.
“The numbers have it and the bill is rejected,” Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh said.
Lyngdoh said many children are born with congenital physical and mental disabilities in economically challenged families and they are rendered helpless by the financial crisis that parents face.
He said the bill sought to protect the educational and basic healthcare rights of children with special needs. “The bill also endeavours to ensure that the state government will meet the expenditure for funding their education in any registered institution for special needs of their choice as recognised by the state government till they attain the age of 18 years,” he added.
It is also to ensure the health and social welfare department to mandatorily assist in the examination of all children born with special needs and are provided with a health insurance coverage from the date of recognition.
