News Highlight
The Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan (Accessible India Campaign) will complete seven years in December 2022.
The Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan
- About
- Accessible India Campaign, or Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan, is a program set to be launched to serve the differently-able community of the country.
- Launched
- The Prime Minister of India launched it on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3rd December 2015.
- Ministry
- It is the nationwide flagship campaign of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- Aims
- The vision of the Accessible India Campaign is to create a barrier-free environment for an independent, safe and dignified living of Persons with Disabilities.
- The Vision statement declares: “Accessible India. Empowered India.”
- Significance
- Including all classes of people will bring a bright prospect for us.
- Furthermore, it will also address those with disabilities and feel involved.
- This initiative is crucial as it teaches the message of justice for all.
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016
- About
- To comply with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016 replaced the 1995 Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act of 1995.
- UNCRPD
- The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
- India is a signatory to the UNCRPD, which imposes obligations on the governments to ensure people with disabilities have access to:
- Information
- Transportation
- Physical Environment
- Communication Technology
- Accessibility to Services, as well as emergency services
- The types of disabilities
- The types of disabilities have been increased from 7 to 21 under this Act.
- The Act added mental illness, autism, spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions, speech and language disability, thalassemia, haemophilia, sickle cell disease, multiple disabilities including deaf blindness, acid attack victims and Parkinson’s disease, which were largely ignored in the earlier act. In addition, the Government has been authorised to notify any other category of specified disability.
- Reservation
- It increases the quantum of reservations for people suffering from disabilities from 3% to 4% in government jobs and from 3% to 5% in higher education institutes.
- Free education
- Every child with a benchmark disability between 6 and 18 years shall have the right to free education.
Content Source: PIB