Lok Sabha Question No. 1333 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-03
Subject: Rights of Disabled Persons
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Shri Chandra Prakash Joshi

## Government of India Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1333

TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.12.2024

## RIGHTS OF DISABLED PERSONS

†1333. Shri Chandra Prakash Joshi:

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

- (a) whether the Government is making any efforts to ensure the "right of disabled persons" in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government proposes to provide the services of specially trained teachers to teach disabled children in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the State Governments are legally bound to adopt the eligibility criteria prescribed by the Rehabilitation Council of India for providing training to disabled children in the country and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the efforts made to ensure the rights of disabled persons in the context of Rajasthan?

## ANSWER

Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment

(SHRI B L VERMA)

- (a) The  Government  of  India  ratified  the  United  Nations  Convention  on  the  Rights  of Persons  with  Disabilities  (UNCRPD),  demonstrating  its  commitment  to  upholding  and promoting  the  rights  and  dignity  of  persons  with  disabilities  (PwDs).  Aligning  with provisions  of  the  UNCRPD,  the  Government  enacted  the  Rights  of  Persons  with Disabilities Act (RPwD), 2016. The said Act provides rights and entitlements to persons with  disabilities,  which  inter  alia  include  equality,  non-discrimination,  protection  from cruelty  and  inhuman  treatment  ,  protection  and  safety,  home  and  family,  reproductive rights, accessibility in voting, access to justice and provision for guardianship. The Act has  provisions  of  no  less  than  4%  reservation  to  persons  with  benchmark  disabilities (PwBDs) in government employment and 5% reservation to PwBDs in Higher Education Institutions receiving aid from the Government. The Office of Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities has been established under section 74 of the RPwD Act 2016 to take steps to safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities.

Though, relief to persons with disabilities is a State subject by virtue of Entry 9 of the State  List  of  the  Constitution  of  India,  the  Central  Government,  through  its  major schemes namely Assistance to Persons with Disabilities for Purchase/Fitting of Aids/Appliances (ADIP), Scheme  for Implementation of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (SIPDA), Deendayal Divyangjan Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS),

Skill  training,  Scholarship,  Accessible  India  Campaign  etc.,  supplements  the  efforts  of State Governments to ensure rights of the persons with disabilities.

- (b) The mandate given to the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), under the RCI Act 1992, is  to  regulate  and  monitor  services  given  to  persons  with  disabilities,  to  standardise syllabi and to maintain a Central Rehabilitation Register of all qualified professionals and personnel working in the field of Rehabilitation and Special Education. The Council is mandated to standardise course curriculum for Human Resource Development under 16 categories of rehabilitation professionals/personnel in which Special Educator is one of the categories. The RCI has approved Teachers Training Programme at Diploma, Degree and Masters Level in Special Education being offered across the Country at 696 approved institutions. So far, 1.81 lakhs professionals/personnel in Special Education are registered in the Central Rehabilitation Register (CRR) maintained by RCI under Section 19 of RCI Act, 1992. It is imperative that only a qualified special educator having valid and active CRR number can provide special education to children with disabilities as per section 13 of RCI Act, 1992.
- (c) As per section 11 of the RCI Act, 1992, the Council is mandated to standardise course curriculum for Human  Resource  Development  for  16  categories  of  rehabilitation professionals/personnel in which Special Educator is one of the categories.   Accordingly, the  Council  issues  Model  Recruitment  Rules  for  recruitment  of  Special  Educators  and other Rehabilitation Professionals/personnel to serve in the field of special education and disability  rehabilitation  to  be  followed  as  a  model  by  all  the  concerned  recruitment agencies.
- (d) The details of beneficiaries and amount  disbursed under various schemes implemented by the Department in r/o the State of Rajasthan are as under:

(Amount in Rs. Crore)

| Scheme      | 2021-2022                                           | 2021-2022   | 2022-2023   | 2022-2023   | 2023-2024   | 2023-2024   |
|-------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|             | BeneficiaryAmountBeneficiaryAmountBeneficiaryAmount |             |             |             |             |             |
| ADIP        | 7,483                                               | 4.52        | 10,132      | 6.67        | 19,869      | 21.56       |
| DDRS        | 528                                                 | 2.86        | 546         | 2.39        | 513         | 3.20        |
| SCHOLARSHIP | 1856                                                | 4.08        | 1084        | 3.54        | 1007        | 3.51        |