New Delhi, Oct 23 (PTI) The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) on Wednesday opposed the recent amendments to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, claiming they will make the process of obtaining disability certificates more difficult and burdensome.
In a statement, the cross disability rights organisation called the amendments “regressive” and warned that they would add more obstacles for people with disabilities, hindering their access to essential services and entitlements.
The NPRD highlighted that the new rules, including an extension of the time frame for issuing disability certificates from one month to three months, will exacerbate existing delays.
The rights organisation also criticised the provision that forces applicants to reapply if their request remains unaddressed for two years, calling it “unacceptable” and an unjust punishment for system failures.
Additionally, they raised concerns over the mandatory use of the UDID portal for applying for certificates, arguing that this would create further barriers for many applicants.
The government enforced the new amendments, stating they will streamline the application process for disability certificates and Unique Disability Identity (UDID) Cards to improve accessibility and provide more efficient services for persons with disabilities.
According to NPRD, these amendments do not address the root causes of issues such as lack of accountability and transparency, which were starkly revealed in the Puja Khedkar case.
The central government had in September discharged Khedkar from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) after she was accused of cheating and wrongly availing Other Backward Classes (OBC) and disability quota benefits to ensure her selection in the government service.
The Khedkar case, which involved manipulation of the certification process, remains unresolved, with no responsibility fixed, it said.
The NPRD stated that the amendments are based on a wrongful assumption that persons with disabilities are responsible for manipulating the process.
They emphasised that the issuance of fake certificates is a rare occurrence, and such problems are widespread across all documentation systems in India.
The NPRD also expressed disappointment that concerns raised by disability rights organisations and activists were ignored in the formulation of these amendments. PTI UZM RT RT
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