Funds are doubled for children with exceptional needs, but recipients also receive more.

Ghaziabad/Noida: The fund for special needs students in Ghaziabad has nearly doubled this year compared to last year. The state education department released Rs 9.3 lakh this year compared to Rs 5.4 lakh in 2022. However, the number of students, who will receive a stipend or escort allowance, has also increased from 150 to 263 this year.The department has released Rs 3.2 lakh for stipend for girls with special needs and another Rs 6.1 lakh for escort allowance for children with special needs who cannot go to school and back without help from another person. Last year, the total funds released was Rs 5.4 lakh—Rs 3.6 lakh for escort allowance and Rs 1.8 for stipend for girls. The department has approved 161 girls with special needs for the stipend and 102 children with special needs for the escort allowance this year. In 2022, the total number of approved beneficiaries was 150.The trend is the same in Noida, which will get Rs 6 lakh for 165 students this year compared to Rs 4 lakh for 125 students in 2022. Across districts, the state released over Rs 10 crore—Rs 6.8 crore for the escort allowance for children with special needs and Rs 3.9 crore for the stipend for girls with special needs. Last year, the state released Rs 7 crore in total. A stipend of Rs 200 per month goes to girls with special needs in classes 1-8 in government primary or upper primary schools. According to the state, the eligibility criteria include girls with special needs in classes 1 to 8 studying in council primary and upper primary schools, with a certificate showing a minimum of 40% disability issued by a medical board or competent medical officer. The girls get the stipend for a maximum of 10 months, amounting to Rs 2,000 per year, from May 2023 to March 2024. A Rs 600 escort allowance goes to students with special needs in government primary schools. The eligibility criteria include totally blind, intellectually disabled, cerebral palsy, multiple disabled and Japanese Encephalitis/Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (JE/AES) children studying in council schools, state-aided schools and local body schools, who cannot go from home to school and school to home without the help of another person and have a certificate showing 40% or more disability issued by a competent medical authority. The students get the escort allowance for a maximum of 10 months, amounting to Rs 6,000 per year, from May 2023 to March 2024.