Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government on Tuesday directed all District Social Security Officers (DSSOs) to take immediate steps to assess and provide hearing aids and other eligible assistive devices to 644 hearing-impaired students from 15 Special Schools who were left out of the assessment process, following an observation by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
The directive was issued by the Department of Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) in response to concerns raised in CAG Audit Para No. 2.5.4, titled “Inadequate Aids and Appliances for PwD Students.”
According to the department, the 644 hearing-impaired students could not receive hearing aids and other eligible aids and appliances as they were unable to participate in Samarthya Sibirs organised under the Bhima Bhoi Bhinnakhyama Samarthya Abhiyan (BBSA) between 2018-19 and 2022-23.
The CAG audit found that the concerned DSSOs had failed to inform the authorities of the Special Schools in advance about the organisation of the Samarthya Sibirs.
As a result, the eligible students were unable to participate in the camps, where assessments for assistive devices were conducted. The lapse consequently deprived the students of access to hearing aids and other eligible aids and appliances available under the scheme.
Taking note of the audit observation, the SSEPD Department has directed the concerned DSSOs to arrange assessments for the affected students and facilitate the distribution of hearing aids and other eligible assistive devices wherever required under the BBSA scheme.
The department has also asked the districts to submit compliance reports at the earliest, detailing the action taken to address the issue.
To prevent similar lapses in the future, the department has instructed officials to ensure that all Special Schools and other institutions serving Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) are informed well in advance about every Samarthya Sibir organised within their respective jurisdictions.
