Latest news with #RightsofPersonswithDisabilitiesRules
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Goa govt to audit accessibility of its buildings to heed rules for PwDs
Panaji: State govt has decided to conduct an accessibility audit of the built environment, including public buildings, transportation systems, educational institutions, and recreational facilities. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This initiative aims to ensure compliance with accessibility standards and guidelines notified under Rule 15 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules. Goa's department for empowerment of persons with disabilities will engage an agency registered or empanelled as access auditors under the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment to carry out the audit in the state. The selected agency will conduct audits across the state and provide detailed reports highlighting areas of non-compliance and suggesting corrective measures. State govt decided to monitor and evaluate the implementation of recommended measures to ensure they are effectively incorporated and continue to meet accessibility standards. Govt wants to stay updated on changes in accessibility standards and regulations through continuous professional development. 'The selected agency has to provide comprehensive diversity, inclusion and accessibility consultancy for events and special projects for persons with disabilities,' a senior officer said, 'It will also have to conduct technical training programmes and capacity-building workshops for technical personnel of various user departments of state govt.' For the first time in Goa, state govt has decided to undertake a comprehensive survey of persons with disabilities (PwDs). The aim is to collect precise, geo-tagged information that would facilitate the development of inclusive policies and enhance service provision. Through this survey, govt wants to understand the problems faced by PwDs and frame policies to provide them with employment and prepare plans for their future. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In line with the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, govt intends to conduct a comprehensive, time-bound survey covering all 21 disabilities. The director of the department for empowerment of persons with disabilities, Varsha Naik, told TOI that earlier, a survey was conducted in 2011 by the directorate of planning statistics, but it was not limited to PwDs. 'We have data from the 2011 census; after that, more disabilities were added, and now we cover 21 disabilities,' Naik said. 'With this survey, we will come to know about their educational qualifications and where they are staying, among other things. Right now, we don't have any comprehensive data on PwDs.'
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Business Standard
23-04-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Delhi HC seeks response from Swiggy, Zepto, Meity on PwD accessibility plea
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought a response from Swiggy, Zepto, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on a plea alleging that the mobile applications of Swiggy and Zepto are inaccessible for persons with disabilities. Justice Sachin Datta has fixed the hearing on May 28. The petition has been filed by Mission Accessibility, an NGO advocating the rights of persons with disabilities. The plea says that the mobile applications in question are inaccessible for persons with disabilities, particularly those with visual impairments. This prevents people from using essential services such as food delivery, grocery shopping, and restaurant reservations, the plea said. It also said that both Zepto and Swiggy platforms have failed to ensure compliance with accessibility requirements under Sections 40 and 46 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016 and Rule 15 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017. Section 40 of the RPWD Act mandates the central government to set accessibility standards for physical environments, transportation, and information and communication technologies. Section 46 requires all government and private service providers to ensure accessibility in accordance with these rules within a two-year timeframe. As per the plea, the lack of accessible search features, unlabelled interactive elements, absence of essential product details, and the inability of visually impaired users to position their device cameras for necessary transactions, such as returning items, create severe barriers to independent digital access. The petition sought a court direction to the two platforms to submit a detailed accessibility audit report from a government-empanelled auditor identifying all existing barriers faced by persons with disabilities on their digital platforms. A direction is also sought on Zepto and Swiggy to provide a long-term strategy to ensure that all future updates, modifications, and newly introduced features remain fully accessible and compliant with established accessibility standards.
