Members of the Vikalachetanara Gouravadhana Karyakarthara Sangha, an association of workers engaged by the state government for the rehabilitation of the physically challenged and the elderly, staged a protest in Belagavi on Monday for regularization of services and hike in wages.
They said the Ministry of Empowerment of the Differently Handicapped and Senior Citizens has employed more than 6,800 workers for the rehabilitation of the physically challenged and senior citizens across the state.
They include Village Rehabilitation Workers (VRW), Urban Rehabilitation Workers (URW) and Multipurpose Rehabilitation Workers (MRW). While VRWs and URWs working in villages and urban pockets get an honorarium of ₹9,000 per month, MRWs working at the taluk level get ₹15,000 per month. Persons with various disabilities are selected for these posts.
“We have been working for 18 years, but we are deprived of service benefits. Our services are not regulated. We are not paid and there is no job security or allowances. We ensure that the physically challenged and senior citizens get government facilities. We also help such people to vote in elections. We help them get government benefits. But we do not get proper benefits,” they said, adding that we do not have offices and senior citizens in rural areas.
They submitted a memorandum to Minister Muniyappa. He said he would bring their problems to the attention of the Chief Minister and try to help them in various ways.
Published – 15 Dec 2025 21:15 IST
