In order to prevent differently abled school students from dropping out, the Tamil Nadu Government today announced extending an assistance scheme to them with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa allocating Rs 22.34 lakh for it.
The Government also announced other sops for differently abled persons.
Jayalalithaa approved financial assistance of Rs 1,500 for students of Classes X and XI and Rs 2,000 for plus two students of Government and aided schools, on the lines of a similar scheme to prevent school dropouts.
The sum will be invested as fixed deposit in Tamil Nadu Power Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd, and will benefit 1359 students, an official release here said.
Further, the percentage of disability in mentally challenged persons unable to take care of themselves has been reduced from 60 to 45 per cent, so as to enable more of them avail themselves of government assistance of Rs 1,000 a month.
More than 77,000 such persons were benefiting from this scheme, the release said.