Policy paper

Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India

Published 23 July 2018

Form for submitting commitments for the Global Disability Summit 2018

Your organisation:

Type of organisation: National Government

Name of organisation Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India

Charter for Change

Please read the attached Summit Charter for Change: the principal legacy of the Summit. If your organisation is happy to sign up to the Charter, please confirm by putting a cross in the box below.

My organisation signs up to the Summit Charter for Change: YES

Your organisation’s commitments to achieve the rights of people with disabilities in developing countries:

Commitments to eliminate Stigma and Discrimination

Please select the category which your commitment most relates to: Choose an item.

Please enter the exact wording of the commitment/s, including details of others who has supported its development (75 words limit):

Government of India has enacted Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act 2016 which is a comprehensive legislation in line with UNCRPD for empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). Section 3 of the RPwD Act 2016 prohibits discrimination on the ground of disability. It also prohibits exploitation, abuse and violence against PwDs. It also provides for penalty for violation against any PwDs.

Commitments for Inclusive Education

Please select the category which your commitment most relates to: Choose an item.

Please enter the exact wording of the commitment/s, including details of others who have supported its development (75 words limit):

The Government of India has enacted Rights of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 which guarantees right to education of every child including child with disabilities. Further Section 31 of the RPWD Act mandates the Government to ensure that every child with disabilities pursue his/her school education in a neighbourhood school or special school of his/her choice. . Timeframe and/or implementation plan (75 words limit)

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Commitments for Technology and Innovation

Please select the category which your commitment most relates to: Choose an item.

Please enter the exact wording of the commitment/s, including details of others who have supported its development (75 words limit):

The RPwD Act mandates the Government to promote personal mobility of PwDs. The Government is also implementing a scheme namely Assistance to Disabled Persons For Purchase/Fitting of Aids/Appliances ( ADIP) scheme for providing aids and assistive derives to PwDs in order to enabling them to participate in the society. Government has set up Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) for providing affordable and quality assistive devices to PwDs.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan (75 words limit)

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Commitments for Data Disaggregation

Please select the category which your commitment most relates to: Choose an item.

Please enter the exact wording of the commitment/s, including details of others who have supported its development (75 words limit):

The Government is implementing Unique Disability ID (UDID) project to create database for PwDs and also to issue unique ID card to each PwDs. The data base is dynamic and capture all vital information relating to PwDS.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan (75 words limit)

Commitments for Women and Girls with Disabilities

Please enter the exact wording of the commitment/s, including details of others who have supported its development (75 words limit):

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Timeframe and/or implementation plan (75 words limit)

The RPwD Act envisages to take appropriate measures to ensure that the women and children with disabilities enjoy their rights equally with others. The Act provides various support to women with disability such as for livelihood support for themselves and upbringing of their children, access to sexual and reproductive healthcare to women with disability, protection from sexual violence, abuse etc

Commitments for people with disabilities in Humanitarian Contexts

Please enter the exact wording of the commitment/s, including details of others who has supported its development (75 words limit):

The RPwD Act provides a framework for creating an inclusive society wherein PwDs can lead a dignified life with others in the society. It mandates mandatory adherence to accessibility standards by all establishment and service providers to create barrier free environment for PwDS in Physical Infrastructure, Transportation and ICT including cultural and recreation. The Act also promotes disability inclusive disaster risk management in all humanitarian emergency situation.

Other Commitments

Please enter the exact wording of any other commitment/s that do not fall under the themes above, including details of others who have supported its development (75 words limit):

The National Development Goals of India are well aligned with SDGs which promote inclusive development. The motto of the Government is to focus on mainstreaming of the last man of the last row.

India is a party to UNCRPD, SDG and Incheon Strategy. Further the Government has enacted Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act 2016 which is a comprehensive legislation in line with UNCRPD for empowerment of PwDs. This shows the Political will and commitment at the highest level leadership in India.

As far as leadership and diverse representation of PwDs are concerned, this is to say that PwDs are represented in the Central Advisory Board on disability which is the Apex Policy recommending body in India on matters relating to disability. More over the Government invariably follows the consultation process with the PwDs and their association while drawing policies and programmes for them.