Thiruvananthapuram: The union government’s decision to upgrade the National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH) – an advanced institution set up to empower the differently-abled – into a central university is being sabotaged. It was in his 2015 budget speech that union finance minister Arun Jaitley made the announcement regarding the new status.
Even though the draft Bill for the purpose is ready, it has not been cleared by the union cabinet so far. The central government has also taken no step to introduce the Bill in Parliament and get it passed. Kerala is now anxious over the fate of the legislation and the future of NISH.
Jaitley had said that NISH would be made a university with the aim of turning it into a center of higher education for the differently-abled as well as their rehabilitation. NISH was envisaged as the first university in Asia addressing all disabilities. For realizing the plan, the government had prepared a draft Bill named National University of Rehabilitation and Studies as well as related statutes in 2016.
50 acres allotted at Vithura
After Jaitley’s Budget announcement, the state government allotted 50 acres at Vithura in the capital district for setting up the university and submitted all land document to the Centre. Following which, central minister of state for social welfare Thawar Chand Gehlot visited NISH. He said on the occasion that the central government would sanction Rs 1,700 crore to raise NISH to university status. In addition, the institution would get Rs 100 crore every year, he said. Another promise was that Rs 485 crore would be allotted during the first five years.
Last year, central minister of state Ramdas Athawale also visited NISH. However, the university Bill is still in cold storage. Even after the central ministers promising action, the Bill has not been introduced in Parliament though it met 13 times since then.
Shockingly, the state government also has initiated no steps to get the Bill passed by the Center.
Govt apathy evident
In reply to a query submitted under the Right to Information Act, the central social welfare department said on February 2, 2017 that the Bill was in the final stages of preparation and would be presented before Parliament soon. However, in reply to another query, the department said in October 2017 that the Bill was only under consideration, suggesting an apparent backtracking by the central government.
A Bill would lapse if it is not presented before Parliament within a specified time period. In that case, preparation of a new Bill and related statutes is required, which would involve considerable loss of time and effort.
A voice for the voiceless
NISH was opened on October 8, 1997 with seven children when E K Nayanar was the chief minister. It was launched by G Vijayaraghavan with the support of the social welfare department. Initially, services were offered to children having speech and hearing impairment. After the government granted 10 acres of land at Akkulam, NISH became a full-fledged institution having its own clinics and academic-research facilities. The first departments to be opened were Speech and Language Science and Hearing Science. Soon, Early Intervention Centers were opened. With the opening of Neuroscience Department, youngsters having autism, cerebral palsy and mental disabilities are benefited. NISH also conducts training programs for the parents of differently-abled kids.
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