'Dwarfs' in Haryana to get allowance

By IANS,

Chandigarh : Haryana has become the first state in the country to introduce an allowance scheme for dwarfs, an official said Thursday.

The scheme, 'Haryana allowance to dwarfs', has been implemented under a social welfare initiative of the Haryana government, a spokesman said.

A person whose height is less than 3 feet 4 inches would qualify to be called a dwarf, he said.

Four dwarfs have already been identified under the scheme and were being given an allowance of Rs.300 per month.

He said that a budgetary provision of Rs.3.4 million had been made in the current financial year for the scheme.

To be eligible for the allowance, a claimant would have to be a domicile of Haryana and should be living in the state for over one year. A medical certificate from a competent health authority will be required to prove that the person is a dwarf.