As many as 210 differently abled persons received smartphones from the Department of Welfare of Differently Abled Persons during a special camp held at the Collectorate here on Thursday.

According to District Differently Abled Welfare Officer (DDAWO) G. Vasanth Kumar, this was the second phase of distribution under the State government scheme as around 150 differently abled beneficiaries received the smartphones during the first phase in 2020. “The distribution got delayed due to the [Assembly] election,” he said.

Of the 210 beneficiaries on Thursday, 105 were visually challenged and the rest were hearing and speech impaired, he said. Each of the smartphones cost around ₹ 11,000.As per the eligibility criteria for this scheme, the beneficiaries must be 18 years of age or above and should be either studying, a working professional, self-employed or unemployed, Mr. Kumar said.

For the current year, invitations for application for this scheme will be issued soon and a committee chaired by the District Collector will choose the eligible beneficiaries, the DDAWO said.
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/smartphones-given-to-210-differently-abled/article35478676.ece