EMPOWERMENT
OF DISABLED
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 3rdDecember
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.
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