Persons with disabilities expressed their disappointment over the lack of major announcements in the Budget for the sector, particularly regarding the monthly assistance scheme.Finance Minister Marie Wilson announced in his Budget speech on Wednesday that five schools would be established for persons with intellectual disabilities and an assistance of up to ₹30,000 would be given for the purchase of assistive devices. Disability rights activists said many of the sector’s key demands, including employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, were not mentioned in the Budget. C. Govindakrishnan, alias Gopi, founder of Nethrodaya, said, “We had been demanding that the monthly assistance for persons with disabilities be enhanced. There have been many protests regarding it and the TVK had promised it in their manifesto. The increase is essential for persons with disabilities who rely on them for survival.”Many sections of the disability sector welcomed the move to establish schools for children with intellectual disabilities. M. Ravichandran, State general secretary of the Confederation of Associations for Persons with Mental Disabilities, welcomed the move to establish more schools for persons with intellectual disabilities in five districts in the State. “The Confederation is happy that in these five decades, this is the first time the State government is establishing special schools to impart life help skills and vocational training,” he said. Meenakshi Balasubramanian, a member of the Disability Rights Alliance, said that the Budget speech did not reflect the social justice approach to addressing the issues of persons with disabilities. “The government has maintained the status quo in terms of schemes and programmes. The members and representatives from the disability movement were not in item for a pre-Budget consultation. One key demand was social protection framework across life cycle for persons with disabilities, that encompasses cash transfer, assistive devices, health care, rehabilitation measures and concessions. Nothing has been considered,” she said. Published - August 07, 2026 12:54 am IST