A school for the hearing and speech impaired in Odisha has now sought extra grants in order to maintain the institution. The students of Satyabhama Devi Higher Secondary School in Bhubaneshwar, have pleaded to the government for maintenance grants for the institution, reports The New Indian Express.

The school is the only institution in the city for hearing and speech-impaired students and currently has 166 residential students. It is run by a social outfit, Satyabhama Devi Welfare Trust and the school is recognised by the Social Security & Empowerment of Persons With Disabilities (SSEPD) department.

The school not only gets subsidised rice but receives maintenance grants from the Social Security & Empowerment of Persons With Disabilities Department (SSEPD) department through the district social security officer (DSSO), Khurda.

Why did the grants stop?
According to the welfare trust, a maintenance grant of Rs 2,340 is provided per residential student in a special school and the amount is Rs 490 per non-residential student granted every month but according to sources, after the department suspended management of the school a few months back on charges of funds misappropriation and other irregularities as far as students welfare is concerned, the District Social Security Officer (DSSO), Khurda stopped provision of maintenance grants to the school, since April this year.

In regards to the matter, the Orissa High Court has already heard the issue this month and directed the DSSO and Khurda collector to release the grants, nothing has been done so far by the latter.

Niroja Mohapatra, the current Managing Trustee of the school, said that the DSSO has only issued rice lifting orders but has blocked the maintenance grants despite the HC order. "We cannot feed the children just rice, we need money to buy dal, oil and vegetables," she added.

The students have raised their objection against this and have written to the department seeking immediate release of funds.