Lok Sabha Question No. 305 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-05
Subject: Disable Friendly Infrastructure
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Sunil Dattatray Tatkare

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT DEPARTMENT OF EMPOWERMENT OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 305 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.12.2023

## DISABLE FRIENDLY INFRASTRUCTURE

## 305.  SHRI SUNIL DATTATRAY TATKARE:

Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:-

- (a)  whether  all  the  Government  buildings  have  no  facility  of  wheelchair  ramps  and  disabled friendly;
- (b) if so, the total percentage of the Government buildings that have wheelchair ramps installed, State/UT-wise;
- (c)  the  total  percentage  of  the  Government  buildings  that  have  functional  disabled  friendly washroom, State/UT-wise; and
- (d)  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  have  disabled  friendly  infrastructure  in  Government buildings upto District level?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SUSHRI PRATIMA BHOUMIK)

(a) to (d) : The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has informed that the  retrofitting of all the 211  Central  Government  buildings across the country  owned  by  that ministry for accessibility as targeted under Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan (Accessible India Campaign ) has been completed  by  Central  Public  Works  Department  (CPWD).  Further,  retrofitting  works  of  889 Central  Government  buildings  belonging  to  other  Ministries/Departments  maintained  by  the CPWD has also been completed.

'Works, lands and buildings vested in or in the possession of the State' is a State subject. The details  of  buildings  of  States/Union  Territories  made  accessible  are  not  being  maintained centrally.  For  guidance  of  the  States  and  Union  Territories,  Ministry  of  Housing  and  Urban Affairs  has  formulated  'Harmonized  Guidelines  &  Standards  for  Universal  Accessibility  in India, 2021' containing accessibility guidelines.

In respect of State/UT Government owned buildings funded under target 1.1 of Accessible India Campaign,  21  State/UT  Governments  have  reported  completion  of  retrofitting  work  in  623 buildings.

In  the  Rights  of  Persons  with  Disabilities  Act,  2016,  provisions  have  been  made  to  ensure accessibility  in  public  infrastructure.  In  addition,  the  Department  of  Empowerment  of  Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) has been implementing a sub-scheme namely Creation of Barrier Free  Environment  under  the  Central  Sector  Scheme  for  Implementation  of  Rights  of  Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 to provide financial assistance to State/UT Governments to provide barrier  free  environment  for  the  persons  with  disabilities  which include  access to built environment  in  schools,  colleges, academic  and  training institutions, offices and public buildings,  recreational  areas,  health  centres/hospitals  etc.  This  would  include  provision  for ramps, rails, lifts, adaptation of toilets for wheelchair users, brail signages and auditory signals, tactile  flooring,  causing  curb  cuts  and  slopes  to  be  made  in  pavement  for  the  easy  access  of wheelchair users, engraving on the surface of zebra crossing for the blind or for persons with low vision, engraving on the edges of railway platforms for the blind or for low vision and devising appropriate symbols of disability, etc.

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