The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has conducted a Survey of Persons with Disabilities during July 2018 to December 2018 as a part of 76^th round of National Sample Survey (NSS). Prior to this, survey on the same subject was carried out by NSO during the 58^th round (July-December 2002).

2.         The main objective of the Survey of Persons with Disabilities conducted by NSO in its 76^th round was to estimate indicators of incidence and prevalence of disability, cause of disability, age at onset of disability, facilities available to the persons with disability, difficulties faced by persons with disability in accessing/using public building/public transport, arrangement of regular care giver, out-of pocket expenses relating to disability, etc. In NSS 76^th round survey, for classification of disabilities, all the specified disabilities as stated in The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 have been considered.

3.         The present survey was spread across the country and for the central sample, data were collected from 1,18,152 households (81,004 in rural areas and 37,148 in urban areas) and 5,76,569 persons (4,02,589 in rural areas and 1,73,980 in urban areas), following a scientific survey methodology, were enumerated. In this survey, total number of persons with disability surveyed was 1,06,894 (74,946 in rural areas and 31,948 in urban areas) persons with disabilities were surveyed. The report is based on the central sample data of the Survey of Persons with Disabilities during NSS 76^th round. Some important findings of the survey, based on the response of the households, are presented in the following paragraphs:

3.1       Prevalence and incidence of disability

1. In India prevalence of disability (percentage of persons with disability in the population) was 2.2% with 2.3% in rural and 2.0% in urban areas.
2. Prevalence of disability was higher among males than females. Among males, prevalence of disability was 2.4% while it was 1.9% among females.
3. Incidence of disability in the population, that is the number of persons with onset of disability (by birth or otherwise) during 365 days preceding the date of survey was 86 per 1,00,000 persons.

3.2       Level of education among persons with disabilities

1. Among persons with disabilities of age 7 years and above, 52.2% were literate.
2. Among persons with disabilities of age 15 years and above, 19.3% had highest educational level as secondary and above.
3. Among persons with disabilities of age 3 to 35 years, 10.1% attended pre-school intervention programme.
4. Percentage of persons with disabilities of age 3 to 35 years, who were ever enrolled in ordinary school, was 62.9%.

3.3       Living arrangement, care giver, receipt of aid/help, certificate of disability

1. Percentage of persons with disabilities who were living alone^[1] was 3.7 %.
2. Among persons with disabilities, 62.1 % had care giver, for 0.3 % of the persons with disabilities caregiver was required but not available and for another 37.7 % of the persons with disabilities no caregiver was required.
3. Percentage of persons with disabilities who received aid/help from Government was 21.8% and another 1.8% received aid/help from organisations other than Government.
4. Among persons with disabilities, 28.8% reported that they had a certificate of disability.

3.4       Labour Force Participation Rate, Worker Population Ratio and Unemployment Rate in usual status (ps+ss) among persons with disabilities

1. Among persons with disabilities of age 15 years and above, Labour Force Participation Rate in usual status (ps+ss) was 23.8%.
2. Among persons with disabilities of age 15 years and above, Worker Population Ratio in usual status (ps+ss) was 22.8%.
3. Among persons with disabilities of age 15 years and above, Unemployment Rate in usual status (ps+ss) was 4.2%.

4.         The Report on the “Survey of Persons with Disabilities” and unit level data are both available on www.mospi.gov.in.

[1] Persons living alone were those who were living alone ‘not as an inmate of institution/ hostel’ or living alone ‘as an inmate of institution/ hostel’

***

VRRK/VJ/NK