New Delhi, June 18: The government has fixed a target to cover over 14 lakh persons with disabilities by 2007 under the scheme of assistance to disabled persons. Over seven lakh beneficiaries have been covered since 1997-98 under the central scheme run by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry, official sources said today.

Under the scheme, aids and appliances are supplied free of cost to the disabled and cost of surgical operations are met if the physically challenged person has a monthly income of less than Rs 5000. Tricycles, wheel chairs, hearing aids and braille instruments are supplied under the scheme.

Sources said that allocation under the scheme under the 10th plan has been increased to Rs 345.50 crore against the 9th plan figure of Rs 133.80 crore while the budget allocation has increased six-fold from Rs nine crore in 1997-98 to Rs 54 crore in 2002-03. Bureau Report