Paktia disables say their stipend delayed for days

GARDEZ (Pajhwok): Since about a year, the process of giving monthly stipend to people with disabilities has been made biometric in southeastern Paktia province, but disabled persons in remote areas say their payment is delayed for days.

They say they visit the provincial capital to receive their welfare benefits every month but their payment is delayed for several days which they spend in inns and hotels against money.

A disabled person, Syeda Jan, from Chamkani district, said this time he borrowed money from someone to reach Gardez and receive his monthly stipend.  “It is my fifth time coming here, but I did not receive the stipend, no one hears our voice,” he lamented.

Abdul Rahman, another disabled person who belongs to Dand Patan district, said they had been promised about a year ago that the payment of stipend to disabled persons would be made biometric in order to be secure and convenient but the promise remained unfulfilled.

“We filled the biometric documents and we were told that we would be invited for biometric verification but the year is about to end and we are yet to be invited.”

Wolesi Jirga member from Paktia Naseeb Muqbil said he had discussed some issues about payment of stipend to the disabled persons with the ministry concerned which had promised creating facilities.

“I have talked to the minister several times, the problems is the ministry wants to computerize the payments, which is a long process.”

Paktia martyrs and disabled affairs deputy director Bakhtiar Zazai strongly rejected corruption in the department and said people with disabilities were timely paid their monthly stipends as well as aid from non-governmental organizations.

“Since the day one until now, we have been releasing monthly stipends to 100 people a day. The payment is never delayed, but complaints come from those families whose disabled family member has died or they have no disability.”

He said currently 3557 families of martyrs of military and civilian and 2631 disabled persons were registered with his department and they received their welfare benefits.

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