The
Constitution of India ensures equality, freedom, justice and dignity of all
individuals and implicitly mandates and inclusive society for all including the
persons with disabilities. The Constitution in the schedule of subjects lays
direct responsibility of empowerment of persons with disabilities on the State
Governments. Therefore, the primary responsibility to empower the persons with
disabilities rests with the State Governments also. As per Census, 2001, there are 2.19 crore persons with
disabilities and they constitute 2.13 per cent of the
total population of the country. These include persons with visual, hearing,
speech, locomotors and mental disabilities. India is a signatory to the
Declaration on the Full Participation and Equality of People with Disabilities
in the Asia Pacific. India is also a signatory to the Biwako Millennium
Framework for action towards an inclusive, barrier free and rights based
society. India signed the UN Convention on Protection and Promotion of the
Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities and India ratified the
Convention on 1st October, 2008. National
Policy for Persons with Disabilities has been formulated in 2005.
The policy focuses on the prevention of disabilities, the physical and
economic rehabilitation measures for disabled persons. The policy is to be
implemented by Government and other agencies. According to United Nations
directives the international day of people with disability is being celebrated
across the world on 3rd December on every year.
National
Institutes for Disabled
In
order to effectively deal with the multi-dimensional problem of the disabled
population, the following National Institutes/ have been set up in each major
area of disability namely; (i) National Institute for the Visually Handicapped,
Dehradun, (ii) National Institute for Orthopedically Handicapped, Kolkata,
(iii) Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped, Mumbai,
(iv) National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped, Secunderabad, (v)
National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research, Cuttack, (vi)
Institute for the Physically Handicapped, New Delhi, (vii) National Institute
for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities, Chennai. These
institutes are mainly responsible for conducting innovative researches,
organise training programmes for manpower development and deliver services in
the country.
Regional
Rehabilitation Centres in five Composite Regional Centres (CRCs) for the
Persons with Disabilities are located at Srinagar, Lucknow, Bhopal, Sundernagar
and Guwahati. These centres conduct training programmes to prepare
professionals in the field of rehabilitation as well as provide rehabilitation
services to the disabled. Four Regional Rehabilitation Centres for Spinal
Injuries and other Orthopaedic Disabilities at Mohali, Cuttack, Jabalpur and
Bareilly are providing services for basic management and follow-up of the
spinally injured so as to make the affected persons functionally independent.
Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), Kanpur, is a
public sector body, engaged in manufacturing of aids and appliances for persons
with disabilities. The products manufactured by the Corporation conform to ISI
standards approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Marketing of products
organised through Regional Marketing Centres at Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai,
Bhubaneswar and Delhi and also through National Institutes, and voluntary
organisations.
Financial Assistance
National
Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC) is an apex-level
financial institution for extending credit facilities to persons with
disabilities for their economic development. Funds assistance is disbursed
through the channelizing agencies authorized by the State Governments/UT
Administrations and Non-Government Organisations. It also extends loans for
pursuing education at graduate and higher levels. Besides, it assists in the
upgradation of technical and entrepreneurial skills to enable beneficiaries to
manage their production units efficiently. Government of India is implementing
Scheme for Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of AIDs and
Appliances. The objective of the Scheme is to assist needy and disabled persons
in procuring-durable, sophisticated and scientifically manufactured, standard
aids and appliance that can promote their physical, social and psychological
rehabilitation by reducing the impact of disability and enhancing their
economic potential. The scheme is implemented through agencies like voluntary
organisations, National Institutes under the Ministry of social justice and
empowerment ALIMCO, Zila Panchayats, DRDAs, etc. The implementing agencies are
provided grant-in-aid for purchase, fabrication and distribution of aids and
appliances. The scheme also includes under its ambit medical/surgical
correction and intervention that may be essential prior to figment of aids and
appliances.
Legal
Measures
Supreme
Court Directives
The
Supreme Court of India had recently delivered landmark Judgement directing the
government that 3% reservations allotted to disabled to be
filled on priority basis. The apex court also directed the government to
protect the human rights of disabled and ensure barrier free environment at
public places and offices.
Persons
with Disabilities Act, 1995
A
comprehensive law, namely, the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities,
Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 has
been enacted and enforced from February 1996. The law
deals with both prevention and promotional aspects of the rehabilitation such
as education, employment and vocational training, creation of barrier-free
environment, provision of rehabilitation services for persons with
disabilities, institutional services and supportive social security measures
like unemployment allowance and grievance redressal machinery both at the
Central and State-level. Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities is an
important statutory functionary, appointed under Section 57
of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and
Full Participation) Act, 1995. The functions and duties of
the Chief Commissioner include coordinating the work of State Commissioners for
persons with disabilities, monitoring of utilisation of funds disbursed by the
Central Government, taking steps to safeguard rights and facilities made
available to persons with disabilities and also to look into complaints with
respect to deprivation of rights of persons with disabilities. The Chief
Commissioner can also take suo motu notice of non-implementation of any rule,
law meant for persons with disabilities and is vested with the powers of a
civil court relating to summoning of witness, discovery, requisitioning and
production of any documents. The National Trust for disabled is a statutory
body set up under "The National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with
Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999".
The
main objectives of the Trust are to enable and empower persons with these
disabilities to live independently as fully as possible, to extend support to
registered organisations providing need-based services and to evolve procedures
for appointment of legal guardians for persons with disabilities requiring such
protection.
Rehabilitation
Council of India
The
Rehabilitation Council of India is a statutory body set up under the
Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992. The Council is
responsible for regulating the training policies and programmes for various
categories of professionals in the area of rehabilitation and special
education. Its functions includes, standardisation and regulation of training
courses at different levels in all the training institutions throughout the
country, recognition of institutions/universities running training courses in
the area of rehabilitation of the disabled within and outside the country on a
reciprocal basis, promotion of research in rehabilitation and special education,
maintenance of a Central Rehabilitation Register for professionals possessing
the recognised rehabilitation qualifications in the area of rehabilitation, and
encouragement of Continuing Rehabilitation Education programmes in
collaboration with organisations working in the area of disability.
(PIB
Features)
