Date:19/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/19/stories/2006121904280500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Relief for acid attack victims proposed

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The State Government has come up with a relief package for victims of acid attacks. The package has been prepared following a direction by the Karnataka High Court to the State Government asking it to formulate a scheme for providing relief and rehabilitation for victims of the acid attacks.

A Division Bench comprising Justice S.R. Bannurmath and Justice Subash B. Adi, while enhancing the punishment to a person accused of throwing acid on Haseena in Bangalore, had sought a package for helping such victims get over their trauma.

The Government sometime ago placed a package. But later it decided to come up with a more comprehensive package.

The new package was formulated by the Department of Women and Child Welfare and signed by the Principal Secretary of the Department. The Government mentioned the contents of the package before a Division Bench headed by Justice Bannurmath and he was asked to file it in the form of an affidavit before the court.

The department said it provided assistance of Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 10,000 to acid victims. This was based on the recommendations of the district-level committee constituted under the chairmanship of Chief Executive Officer, zilla panchayat. Besides, the Karnataka State Women Commission would provide Rs. 10,000 following recommendations by the Santhawana Samithi.

Apart from these two departments, the Department of Disabled Welfare and Senior Citizens is providing Rs. 15,000 to acid victims for their medical expenses and to meet expenditure for corrective surgery.

New proposals

It said it had proposed several other new measures, including Rs. 3 lakh as compensation to acid attack victims who had lost their sight.

This would be given to all acid attack victims without going into the income criteria of the victims.

It said for women who had partially lost their sight or were partially disabled or disfigured, a compensation of Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 2 lakh was proposed.

It said it proposed to give loan assistance to victims for setting up self-employment schemes. It said action would be taken to ensure that budgetary support of Rs. 1 crore for these new schemes in consultation with the Finance and Planning Departments.