Special Feature – 30
Empowering persons with Disabilities
*V.
Mohan Rao
The
change in the name of the Department of Disability Affairs to the
Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities soon after
the NDA assumed power was to send the message that
‘empowerment’ would be the key to the policies and
programmes for the disabled and that a separate department meant
this sector would receive focused attention it deserved . A
numbers of campaigns and schemes have been launched during the last 2 to
3 year towards creating disabled friendly environment in
every sphere whether it is accessibility , education , providing
assistive aides and appliance or empowering persons with
disabilities through skills and providing employment.
“Accessibility”
is one of the most important factors for making the disabled move about
without depending on others . In order to enable persons with disabilities to gain universal access
and independent living the government launched its ambitious
“Accessible India Campaign” (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) which seeks to make
at least 50 percent of all government buildings in the national capital and all
state capitals “fully accessible” for the disabled by July next year . Similar
deadlines were set to make airports and railway stations accessible to the
disabled.50 cities have been selected as
part of this Campaign.
Eighteen
organizations have been empanelled as Access Auditors .Access Audit of
1092 buildings out of 1098 building in 31 cities is complete. In addition to
this, work orders for 410 buildings in 13 more cities were issued last year in
June and access Audit of 400 buildings also has been completed.
50
Accessibility Clubs in IITs, IIMs and other institutes have been set up for
encouraging innovation and investment in Accessibility Solutions.
“Sugamaya
Pustakalaya” an online platform that
makes accessible content available to print-disabled people was also launched
last year. The library houses publications across diverse subjects and
languages and multiple accessible formats.Books are available in Accessible
formats for people with visual impairment and other print disabilities. Over 2
lakhs books in diverse languages. Integrating libraries across India and the
Globe, including the largest international library, ‘Bookshare’.
A
lot of emphasis was laid on education of the students suffering from
disabilities.As many as 2,747 Students with Disabilities (SwD) were benefited
so far under the Pre-Matric Scholarship scheme, which was launched during
2014-15. The scheme provides for financial assistance to the SwDs studying 9th
and 10th classes.
A total
of 5,267 Students with Disabilities have benefited so far from the Post-Matric
scholarship scheme, launched during 2014-15. Under the scheme financial
assistance is provided to the SwDs for studying in class XI to Post
Graduation. A total of 44 SwDs benefitted under the Scheme of
Scholarship for Top Class Education, under which tend financial assistance is
extended to the SwDs for taking up Post Graduate courses in the
institutes of excellence.
Under
the National Fellowship for Persons with Disability (NFPwD), launched in
2012-13, 854 SwDs have so benefitted in pursuing M.Phil and Ph.D.
Seven students received financial support under the National Overseas
Scholarship scheme launched during 2014-15.
Free
Coaching for the economically disadvantaged students with disabilities to
enable them to appear in competitive examinations for appropriate job in
government, public and private sectors has also been envisaged.
In this
regard, the government is also providing incentives to private sector
establishments to encourage employment of PwDs in the corporate sector. Under
the scheme, payment of employer's contribution towards the Employees Provident
Fund organization and the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) for the
first three years, is made by the Central Government in respect of persons with
disability appointed in private sector to a post carrying monthly emoluments up
to Rs.25,000. So far 3,184 Persons with Disabilities have gained from
this initiative.
Skilling
India is one of the priority areas of the government, so
also for persons with disabilities. As many as 62,232 Persons with Disabilities
have been helped under the National Action Plan for Skill Development of
PwDs scheme launched in 2015. Providing vocational training and creating employment
opportunities are aimed at improving quality of life of the persons with
disabilities.
Assisting
the needy disabled persons in procuring durable, sophisticated, modern and
standard aids and appliances can reduce impact of disability and at the same
time promote their rehabilitation and enhance their economic potential.
Rs.356.73
crore were released/utilized during last two years and the current year
benefiting 5.87 lakh beneficiaries through organizing 4,354 camps for
distribution of assistive aides and appliances. Nearly 200 mega camps/special
camps were organized covering 27 states for the assistive devices at the cost
of about Rs.169.56 crore benefiting nearly 2.10 lakh Divyangjan. Aids and
assistive devices costing Rs.108.70 crore were also provided to 1.83 lakh
Divyang children with Special Needs (DCWSN) during 2,734 camps under ADIP-Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan in the primary schools all over the country.
Cochlear
Implant program was launched in the country On 'World Disability Day' in 2014
following empanelment of 140 hospitals both government and private for Cochlear
Implant surgery. Another initiative is the State Spinal Injury Centre
scheme, which is in operation from 31st of March 2015. It envisages, dedicated
12 Bed Ward in government hospitals with medical and paramedical staff with
basic infrastructure.
As per
the 2011 Census, there about 50 lakh people suffering from hearing handicap.
The main objective behind the setting up of the Indian Sign Language
Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) is to develop manpower for using,
teaching and conducting research in Indian Sign Language.The first batch of
Diploma Course in Indian Sign Language Interpretation commenced from 28.10.2016
with intake capacity of 15 students. The second batch started from 14th of
December 2016. Efforts are being made to prepare the sign language dictionary
of about 6,000 words. There is a also plan to prepare a directory of Indian
Sign Language interpreters in India.
District
Disability Rehabilitation Centres (DDRC) are set up under SIPDA for providing
comprehensive services to the persons with disabilities at the grass-root level
and for facilitating creation of the infrastructure and capacity building at
the district level for awareness generation, rehabilitation and training of
rehabilitation professionals. Grants-in-aid of Rs.1,78,61,199 has been released
for 44 District Disability Rehabilitation Centres in the current year as
on 9th of January 2017.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
confers National Awards on individuals, institutions, states/districts for
their outstanding achievements or work done towards empowerment of Persons with
Disabilities on the occasion of the International Day for disabled persons (3rd
December). As many as 89 lakh citizens have benefitted.
In a
significant move towards empowerment of the disabled the Parliament passed the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2016 in the winter Session last
year. This Act replaces the existing Persons with Disabilities (Equal
Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.
In the new Act, the categories of disabilities have been increased
from existing 7 to 21. The Act also provides for increasing reservation
quota from 3 per cent to 4 percent in government jobs.
Hopefully, the
rights based legislation with more Rights and Entitlements and strong
monitoring agencies at the National and State Levels and the various
schemes and campaigns launched by the government will go a long way
in achieving empowerment and mainstreaming of the Persons
with Disabilities in the society.
*****
(For latest
data, please check PIB’s special Webpage - link available on PIB’s home page).
*Author is a senior freelance journalist and regularly writes for
newspapers and magazines. Earlier worked with PTI for two decades.
Views expressed in the article are author’s own.