BUDGET 2015 The RM50 rise in monthly welfare aid for the disabled is a far cry from what the community needs, says Senator K Bathmavathi.

Bathmavathi, the country’s first ever disabled senator, said that it also falls short of what she has been lobbying for in the past three parliamentary sessions.

“In the December, April and June sessions, I had specifically asked for an increase of allowance from RM300, which they are currently getting, to RM500, so at least there is a meaningful increase,” she said, referring to aid for the disabled who are working.

Bathmavathi said that she had also asked for the disabled, who are not working, to have their allowances raised from RM150 to RM300.

“But what was presented today in Parliament is really very, very disappointing. The increase is only RM50, which is almost meaningless,” she said.

She added that higher aid is more crucial to the disabled as they incur higher expenses, even to carry out the simplest daily activities.

Bathmavathi, who is wheelchair-bound, said she will continue to fight for more aid for the disabled.

She also hoped that the youth programmes announced by the prime minister will be open for disabled youth, as there should not be discrimination in such programmes.

‘Not everyone will get it’

Meanwhile, Anthony Thanasayan, who leads an NGO representing the disabled, said the allocation for the needy is “misleading”.

“It's misleading that (Prime Minister) Najib said non-working disabled will receive the RM50 increase when only selected people who qualify for it will receive the payment.

“Either way, it makes more sense to increase their financial aid than to give the working disabled RM350 as the latter have an active income,” said Anthony, president of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (PetPositive).

However, he commended the increment of RM1000 for the tax relief for each disabled child and the purchase of supporting equipment for the disabled.

Meanwhile, Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) executive director Ivy Josiah said that the RM50 million financial aid for NGOs is hardly enough.

“There are too many NGOs in Malaysia who require more than RM1 million a year to function properly,” Josiah ( right ) told Malaysiakini .

She added that the financial aid should not be given as a one-off payment and that the government should work towards helping make NGOs more sustainable.

Josiah also called on the government to distribute the funds in a clear and transparent manner.

“I also hope that in the future, the government will make credible NGOs tax-exempt for this will greatly help the NGOs to get funding,” she said.

Budget 2015 allocates one-off grants to NGOs worth RM50 million.