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The Hindu
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Exposing children early to concept of disability is the way to go
In a significant move toward inclusive education, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), in partnership with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), recently signed a landmark tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU). The goal: to reform school curricula so that children — able-bodied or otherwise — are exposed early to the concept of disability, and gain a foundational understanding of the rights enshrined in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016. This move sends a clear and urgent message: if we want inclusion in our buildings, streets, workplaces, and public spaces, we must first build it into our textbooks. It's a long-overdue recognition that inclusion is not a regulatory requirement to be complied with; it's a cultural norm that must be taught, modelled, and absorbed. And nowhere is this shift more urgently needed than in the fields of architecture, engineering, and urban development — professions that literally shape the world around us. What this project to reform school-level education acknowledges, the built environment sector in India still fails to grasp: inclusion is not a checkbox; it cannot be coerced; it has to be inculcated. Take the example of Delhi, it continues to be a city where persons with disabilities are systematically excluded by design. According to a 2016 access audit conducted under the Union government's Accessible India Campaign, nearly 30% of government buildings in the capital lacked ramps, 82% of public toilets were inaccessible, and 94% of healthcare facilities were not designed with people with disabilities in mind. These figures are not just numbers — they represent an everyday denial of rights. Despite growing awareness, the fundamental issues of coordination, enforcement, and mandatory design education remain unresolved — leaving Delhi's built environment far from inclusive. An afterthought The root of the problem is that the people designing and constructing these buildings — engineers, architects, developers — often have little to no training in disability inclusion. Stakeholders implementing the Unified Building Bylaws (UBBL), a comprehensive set of regulations and guidelines for the construction, alteration, and maintenance of buildings within the National Capital Territory of Delhi, frequently point to a significant knowledge gap. Unlike fire safety, which enjoys a secure place in engineering and architectural curricula and is baked into compliance processes, accessibility is treated as an afterthought — if it appears at all. Two of India's most competitive and prestigious programmes illustrate this gap with uncomfortable clarity. The in computer science and engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, despite its centrality to digital product and systems design, includes no foundational training in accessible technology or inclusive design. The program at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, one of the country's top institutions for urban design, often treats accessibility as an elective or a niche specialisation, not as a non-negotiable design principle. These courses represent the aspirational apex of technical education in India. If the engineers and architects coming out of these programmes are not trained in disability inclusion, what can one hope for broader systemic change? Most crucially, it's not that India lacks a legal framework for accessibility. Quite the opposite. The RPwD Act, 2016 — specifically Sections 40 and 44 lay out clear obligations for accessible infrastructure. The Harmonised Guidelines, 2021, provide detailed technical standards. Delhi's UBBL, in chapter 11, lays down clear accessibility requirements for public-use buildings — sloped ramps, tactile flooring, accessible toilets, appropriate signage, and more. These essentially accessibility mandates are echoed in varying details in the Harmonised Guidelines and Space Standards (2021) and the National Building Code, respectively. Delhi's Master Plan, 2041 even commits to building inclusive recreational spaces and public infrastructure. And yet, even after the Supreme Court's landmark judgment in Rajive Raturi vs Union of India (2024), which ruled that accessibility standards must be mandatory, not optional, implementation remains patchy. Because the real bottleneck isn't the law — it's the capacity to apply it. As one stakeholder in one of our consultations, succinctly put it: 'Engineers don't know what's expected of them. And no one teaches them.' Developers, despite their central role in shaping the built environment, are not even mentioned in UBBL's accountability frameworks, in terms of the compliances they have to meet and the penalties in cases of non-compliance. And technical professionals including engineers and architects across the board rarely receive training in accessibility compliance. The result? Projects that, at most, check some legal boxes without meeting real-world needs. Buildings that pass inspections but fail people. There is an increasing temptation to correct this through penalties. But penalties cannot substitute education. The RPwD Act, 2016 does contain provisions for penalising non-compliance: Section 89 prescribes a fine of up to ₹10,000 for a first offence and ₹50,000 to ₹5 lakh for subsequent offences for any person who contravenes provisions of the Act, including accessibility mandates. The enforcement mechanism under the UBBL also leans heavily on punitive penalties while offering little in the way of structural accountability or institutional clarity, which should ideally include training, capacity building, accessibility licensing requirements, among others. Under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, unauthorised construction — including deviations from sanctioned plans — can attract criminal penalties such as imprisonment for up to six months, fines up to ₹5,000, or both. Furthermore, the UBBL states that professionals, including engineers and architects, 'run the risk of having his/her licence cancelled' in cases of misrepresentation or deviation, and allows for delisting and public naming on authority websites, with information forwarded to the Council of Architecture for further action. What results is a framework that focuses on punishment in theory, but lacks the practical tools to ensure prevention, detection, or redress. Enforcement exists on paper, but accountability dissolves in practice. Yet, despite these legal tools and even with express legal provision, enforcement on the ground remains weak, inconsistent, and often tokenistic. Meaning legal coercion is clearly not working. Courts have also recognised this gap. In Nipun Malhotra vs GNCTD (2018), the Delhi High Court explicitly cited the lack of sensitisation among authorities regarding the rights of persons with disabilities. The court stressed that such ignorance often stems from a lack of training and education in accessibility standards. Similarly, in a complaint regarding inaccessible market areas in south Delhi, the Delhi State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, tasked with the implementation of the RPwD Act and adjudicating disputes under the same, ordered that not just municipal engineers and architects but even contractors and masons should be given structured accessibility training. Inclusion must be inculcated This is precisely why the DEPwD's MoU with NCERT and NIOS must not be viewed as an isolated reform, but rather as a foundational template for deeper, structural transformation across professional education. While school curricula now embed inclusion as a civic value, that same commitment must extend to higher education — particularly in architecture, engineering, and planning. Institutions such as the All India Council for Technical Education, the Council of Architecture, and other regulatory bodies must integrate accessibility not as a peripheral topic or optional module, but as a core design competency. Students should graduate not only with the ability to calculate structural loads or design building façades, but with the sensitivity and skills to plan tactile pathways for the visually challenged and ensure ramps are not just technically compliant, but genuinely usable. Because accessibility is not only a matter of compliance; it is a matter of compassion. Unless professionals are educated to internalise this ethos from school through university, no volume of policies, laws, or litigations will rectify the physical and social barriers we continue to cement into our cities. This is particularly urgent now, as in pursuance of the directions of the Supreme court to delineate the minimum non-negotiable standards for accessibility of built environment, the DEPwD called for public comments on a fresh draft of the Built Environment Accessibility Rules in May 2025. As much as the public comments are being collated and incorporated, as a positive step in disability governance, without parallel reform in education, another set of rules will only add to bureaucratic saturation — an ever-expanding stack of paperwork that does little to change what gets built on the ground. To avoid repeating the cycle of well-meaning but toothless compliance, the rulebook must be matched by a textbook — one that does not impose accessibility as a compliance burden, but inculcates it as a first nature. Anchal Bhatheja is a Research Fellow, Disability, Inclusion and Access Team, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy; Views are personal
United News of India
11-07-2025
- General
- United News of India
English skills key to empowerment of deaf persons: DEPwD Secretary
New Delhi, July 11 (UNI) Learning English language skills is important for deaf persons to enhance career prospects, enable effective communication, and promote their inclusion in mainstream society. This was stated by Secretary of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Rajesh Aggarwal here today, according to a statement from the ministry. Speaking at the second day of the national workshop on 'Best Practices for Teaching English to Deaf Students Using Indian Sign Language (ISL)', he also advocated integrating technology to boost literacy and learning within the deaf community. Aggarwal also stressed that Indian Sign Language (ISL) should be recognised as the first language of deaf individuals, crucial for their cognitive and academic growth. The workshop was organised by the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), an autonomous body under the DEPwD. The presentations by the experts at the workshop focused on practical strategies, bilingual approaches, and culturally responsive methodologies for enhancing English literacy among Deaf learners through the use of ISL, said the statement. Participants actively engaged in group discussions to reflect on the insights shared and to collaborate on effective ways to improve classroom practices. UNI AJ ARN
India Today
09-07-2025
- General
- India Today
Government mandates Aadhaar for persons with disabilities skill development scheme
The Centre has made it mandatory for beneficiaries under the National Action Plan for Skill Development of Persons with Disabilities to either furnish their Aadhaar number or provide proof of having applied for it in order to receive scheme the same time, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment clarified that no eligible child would be denied benefits due to the lack of Aadhaar or authentication a gazette notification, the ministry said Aadhaar authentication is essential for accessing cash benefits under the scheme, including transport allowance, boarding and lodging, conveyance and post-placement support. The National Action Plan for Skill Development of Persons with Disabilities (NAP-SDP) is a central scheme launched in March 2015 by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD).It aims to provide high-quality vocational training to enhance the skills of persons with disabilities (PwDs), enabling them to gain meaningful employment and become self-reliant. The scheme is part of the larger "Scheme for Implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act" (SIPDA).The notification clarified that if an eligible individual does not have an Aadhaar number, they must apply for children, such application must be made with the consent of a parent or legal Aadhaar is assigned, beneficiaries can establish their identity using specified alternative documents, including birth certificates, school records or legal adoption or guardianship ministry has instructed its implementing agencies to set up Aadhaar enrolment centres at accessible locations or become registrars themselves to facilitate enrolment and updates for persons with cases where biometric Aadhaar authentication fails due to reasons like poor fingerprint or iris quality, alternative methods such as OTP-based authentication, Aadhaar QR code scanning or offline e-KYC verification may be used, the notification raise awareness, the ministry will also undertake a media campaign informing beneficiaries about the Aadhaar requirement.A designated officer will verify submitted enrolment and identity documents through the UIDAI portal and may seek assistance from other government notification comes into effect from the date of its publication in the official gazette -- which is July 2.- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Centre launches new portal for disability welfare scheme proposals
The Centre has launched a new dedicated online portal for submitting and processing proposals under the Deendayal Divyangjan Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) and the District Disability Rehabilitation Centres (DDRC) Scheme to streamline the application process. According to an official communication dated July 7 from the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), the e-Anudaan portal ( has now been discontinued for DDRS and DDRC-related proposals. In its place, a new exclusive instance of the e-Anudaan portal has been rolled out and is live at according to the communication. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ik sluit mijn juwelierswinkel voor altijd. Petra Smit Nu winkelen Undo "All data from the previous portal has been successfully migrated to the new platform, ensuring seamless continuity and accessibility of existing records," said Ram Charan Meena, Under Secretary to the Government of India , in the letter addressed to all state and district authorities and Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs). Authorities and agencies have been instructed to use the new portal for both fresh applications and for accessing older submissions under the DDRS and DDRC schemes. Live Events These schemes are central to the government's efforts to support persons with disabilities by funding services such as education, rehabilitation, vocational training, and awareness generation.
India.com
09-07-2025
- General
- India.com
Aadhaar card LATEST UPDATE: Aadhaar now mandatory to avail benefits under..., it helps people with disabilities get..., check details
Aadhaar card LATEST UPDATE: Aadhaar now mandatory to avail benefits under..., it helps people with disabilities get..., check details The central government has made it compulsory for people getting benefits under the National Action Plan for Skill Development of Persons with Disabilities (NAP-SDP) to either: Give their Aadhaar number, or show proof that they have applied for it. This rule is needed to get benefits like transport allowance, stay and food support, travel help, and post-training assistance. However, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment also made it clear that no eligible child will be denied benefits just because they don't have an Aadhaar yet or if Aadhaar verification fails. This rule was announced through an official government notification. This scheme, launched in March 2015 by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), helps people with disabilities get vocational training so they can find jobs and become self-reliant. It is part of the larger program called SIPDA (Scheme for Implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act). What the new rules say? If a person doesn't have Aadhaar, they must apply for it. For children, Aadhaar enrolment should be done with the consent of a parent or legal guardian. Until they get an Aadhaar number, people can use other identity documents like: Birth certificate, school records, adoption or guardianship papers What happens if Aadhaar doesn't work? If someone's fingerprint or eye scan (biometric) doesn't work due to a disability or other issue, the following options can be used instead: OTP (one-time password) on phone Scanning the Aadhaar QR code Offline e-KYC (identity check) Government support Agencies running the scheme have been told to set up Aadhaar enrolment centres in easy-to-reach places or become official Aadhaar registrars themselves. A designated officer will check and verify the Aadhaar-related documents on the UIDAI portal (Aadhaar authority website), and may take help from other government departments if needed. Awareness Campaign The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will run a media campaign to inform beneficiaries about the Aadhaar rule. The new rule has officially come into effect from July 2, the date it was published in the government gazette. (With PTI inputs)
