The great Indian election festival, or chunav ka parv, is finally over With the National Democratic Alliance all set for its third consecutive term, there is anticipation about the new government’s key agendas. Addressing the concerns of disabled people, who constitute 16 per cent of the world’s population – and 2.68 crore Indians as of 2011 – should be Modi 3.0’s top priority. At the NDA Parliamentary Board meeting on 7 June, as newly elected MPs lined up to greet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I couldn’t help but wish that at least one of them was disabled. We can, however, hope for such representation by 2029 if the government focuses on six important areas.
Adequate representation in Parliament
Other countries have seen more disabled representation in recent times compared to India. Wheelchair-bound Marta Gabriela Michetti was Argentina’s Vice President from 2015 to 2019 and Deputy Chief of Government in Buenos Aires from 2007 to 2009. Gregory Wayne Abbott, also a wheelchair user, is serving as the 48th Governor of Texas and was the American state’s longest-serving Attorney General from 2002 to 2015. He was also a Justice of the Texas Supreme Court between 1996 to 2001.
Carla Qualtrough, a blind human rights lawyer and former Paralympic athlete, served as a Member of Parliament as well as the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity in Canada. As India aspires to become a Vishwaguru, it should aim to create an ecosystem that encourages disabled individuals to join mainstream politics and policy-making. Nominating a person with a disability to the Rajya Sabha would give impetus to this movement in India.
Also read: Disability rights intersect with economy, commerce, health. Policy should reflect that
Evaluating policy impact
It is critical to evaluate how our policies have fared. In the last 10 years, the Modi government has launched a series of laudable schemes and campaigns. These include the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, which expanded the list of recognised disabilities and increased reservation for disabled people in government jobs and education.
There’s also the Unique Disability Identification Project, which was launched in 2021 and aims to create a database of people with disabilities. Next comes the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan. Also known as the Accessible India Campaign, Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan will enhance the accessibility of buildings, transport, and digital spaces. Additionally, the Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme and the National Action Plan for Skill Development have supported rehabilitation and skill training for people with disabilities.
The Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana provides free assistive devices and physical aids to senior citizens from the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category, while the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre promotes communication accessibility. Economic empowerment initiatives include Divya Kala Melas – events that help showcase Divyangjan products and skills, and the proposal to establish a University of Disability Studies and Rehabilitation Sciences in Assam. The Atal Bihari Training Centre for Disability Sports in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh offers specialised training for para-athletes.
But the proof of the pudding lies in the eating. The government should constitute a national disability development council comprising various civil society organisations, individuals, private sector players and ministers to evaluate the real impact of these programmes.
Also read: Indian political parties have ignored PwDs in their poll campaigns. They’re a vote bank too
Increase budgetary allocation
The budgetary allocation for disability must be reconsidered. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities has had an outlay of only 0.02 per cent of the total budget allocation in recent years. A dedicated mission mode announcement for disability, much like that for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, is essential, with a proposed allocation of Rs 24,000 crore.
Robust insurance policies
We must have a robust policy framework for the insurance of the disabled. After over seven decades of Independence, disabled people still struggle to secure health insurance in the country. While India has made strides in including PwDs in government health schemes and programmes such as Ayushman Bharat Yojana, ADIP and the Nirmaya Health Insurance, significant challenges and gaps remain in the healthcare system vis-à-vis disability inclusion. This is even more crucial considering the health risks and additional costs endured by PwDs.
According to India Today, countries like the Philippines, Germany, Ireland, Japan, and France have comprehensive health policies for disabled people. The Philippines’ health coverage for disabled people, PhilHealth, automatically includes all disabled individuals under its National Health Insurance Program (NHIP).
Also read: Don’t drop disability questions from NFHS-6. It will create an information gap
Enhancing employment, economic participation
The government must work actively toward enhancing the economic participation of the disabled. According to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, at the all-India level, about 36 per cent of the total disabled persons are employed. Among male disabled persons, 47 per cent are working, while among female disabled individuals, only 23 per cent are part of the workforce. These figures point to the gender disparity in disability employment, emphasising the pressing need for more inclusive policies. Rural India shows some promise in this regard. Twenty-five per cent of female disabled individuals in villages participate in the workforce, compared to just 16 per cent in urban areas.
The latest workforce data reported by Nifty 50 constituent companies, as part of their annual disclosures, doesn’t paint a bright picture either. Only five out of 50 companies have more than one per cent PwD employees on their rolls, with four of them being public sector companies. Public sector companies are required to reserve four per cent of all jobs for disabled people in compliance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016. It’s a target that all these companies have fallen short of.
Strengthen education delivery
The need to strengthen the education delivery framework, including infrastructure and teachers, is critical. The government should consider expanding accessible infrastructure. NCERT’s 8th All India School Education Survey (AISES) revealed startling facts about schooling facilities for children with disabilities. Out of a total of 58.76 lakh teachers, only 1.32 per cent (80,942) have received any kind of training (of at least two weeks) in inclusive education.
Only 10.47 per cent of schools have handrails, 3.81 per cent have adapted labs, and 7.64 per cent have adapted toilets. Of 12,99,902 schools, Braille books are available in 89,145 (6.86 per cent), braille slate and stylus in 88,775 (6.83 per cent), taylor frame in 88,399 (6.8 per cent), abacus in 1,08,441 (8.34 per cent), hearing-aid in 94,882 (7.3 per cent), computer and software in 1,00,334 (7.72 per cent), and audio-visual aids in 1,09,647 (8.44 per cent) schools.
This lack of accessibility poses a major hurdle in the holistic growth of disabled children and has led to many opting for open education. However, the NCERT study was published in 2016, and no further editions have been conducted to accurately comment on the present-day situations of inclusive education in India’s schools. In this case, India’s ability to successfully realise the goals of the very progressive 2022 National Education Policy is bound to be hindered.
Now that India is inching closer to 100 years of Independence, let’s strive to build a country that’s inclusive and accessible for all.
The writer is Executive Director, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled Persons (NCPEDP). Views are personal.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)