City disability activist on state grant panel

Jalandhar, February 12

After serving the state and city in the disability sector for the past over two decades, city-based disability activist Amarjit Singh Anand is now on the state grant-in-aid committee.

Fighting Relentlessly for rights of disabled

• Amarjit Singh Anand, 68, is the founder and president of Jalandhar-based Chaanan Association for MR Children. He is also a member of the Juvenile Justice Board, District Election Committee and expert member of the State Advisory Board.
• He has been a relentless advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities. He has also fought for commissions and bodies to ensure health insurance and guardianship for differently abled children in the state.

The state government appointed the well-known social worker for the disabled, a member of Grant-in-Aid Committee for financial assistance to NGOs earlier this year.

Non-government organisations regularly give projects and applications to get financial assistance of the social schemes of the Government of India. This committee will consider the cases of such NGOs eligible for financial assistance. This is a new and wider role for the activist as he will now represent the state as part of the committee which gives a go-ahead to such funds for NGOs which merit assistance.

Amarjit Singh Anand’s daughter Jasjeet Kaur was born with Down’s syndrome. He has been a relentless advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities. He has also fought for commissions and bodies to ensure health insurance and guardianship for the differently abled children in the state. He is the founder and president of Jalandhar-based Chaanan Association for MR Children.

The 68-year-old activist is a member of the Juvenile Justice Board, District Election Committee and a local-level committee for intellectual disability and expert member of the State Advisory Board.

Since Amarjit Singh Anand understands financial difficulties of NGOs, the state government has appointed him as a member of the Grant-in-Aid Committee in capacity as the president of Chaanan Association and Chaanan Vocational Centre (for the past 26 years).

The two other members of the three-member Grant-In-Aid committee are Dr. Sukhpal Singh (Shri Muktsar Sahib) and Col Karmindra Singh (Patiala).

Speaking to The Tribune, Anand said, “It is a huge responsibility, and I’m thankful for it. The uplift of vulnerable sections of society and rural NGOs, which provide sterling services for free and are in need of grants, will be my first priority. There are many who are doing a commendable service to society, but are lesser known due to lack of a larger voice or funds. This will be an opportunity to uplift them.”