The Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled Affairs (MMD) announced the payment of 10.5 billion Afghanis to orphans and the disabled in 1402 (current solar year). The ministry spokesman, Faisal Khamosh, said that 620,000 widows and disabled people are registered at the ministry.
Khamosh told TOLOnews: “In the current financial year of 1402, 10.5 billion Afghanis have been paid through the banking system to orphans, widow women and disabled people. Till now, the ministry paid the monthly assistance for 75% of the mentioned people.”
Meanwhile, a number of disabled people who are registered with the ministry, complain about not being paid what they are due. Sumaya, 14, who is registered with the ministry, said that it has been two months since she did not receive her payment. Sumaya’s father, who suffers from heart disease, said that currently they are faced with economic challenges.
Farhad, Sumaya’s father, told TOLOnews: “For the first 6 months they paid the payments for my daughter and they told us that each month you can get 2,000 Afghanis which they did not pay for two months which is 4,000.”
“Our demand of the government is to pay attention to elders because we cannot work. I have two children who are going to school and they cannot work,” said Ghulami Haidar. “We want the government to pay our payments. We have children and we are responsible for our families and we have to provide for their expenses,” a Kabul resident said.
The MMD added that so far 75% of orphans, widows and disabled people who are registered with the ministry have received monthly assistance. On International Day of Disabled Persons, some disabled people in the capital have complained about their salaries and lack of work.
Yalda, 8, is a disabled person and her father said that he tried many times to get treatment for his daughter, but no results have been obtained. “We asked for help for these kinds of people so they can be treated in hospitals and take medicine,” said Musa, father of Yalda.
“With 3,000 Afghani how can they manage their 10-member family expenses, the activities that they had before also stopped for them,” said Mohammad Dawood, a disabled person. An organization that is active for disabled people called on international organizations to address the challenges of these people.
“We call on the organizations that work in this field to pay attention to this issue,” said Mohammad Arif Ahmadzai, head of the organization. The Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled said that the payments for all disabled people is determined by considering the budget of the ministry.
“We are trying to allow all people with disabilities have a 3 percent share in every department, so this work will provide for them,” said Faisal Khamosh, an official of the ministry. According to the statistics of the ministry, 180,000 people with disabilities have been registered in the country.—Tolonews
