Lok Sabha Question No. 2408 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-10
Subject: Upliftment of Visually Impaired Children
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Shri Chintamani Maharaj, Shri Suresh Kumar Kashyap, Shri Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-2408

ANSWERED ON 10/12/2024

## UPLIFTMENT OF VISUALLY IMPAIRED CHILDREN

2408. SHRI CHINTAMANI MAHARAJ: SHRI SURESH KUMAR KASHYAP: SHRI SUKHJINDER SINGH RANDHAWA:

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

- (a) whether the Government has taken any steps for the educational development and upliftment of the visually impaired boys and girls;
- (b) if so, the details thereof including Himachal Pradesh;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  steps  to  facilitate  access  to  higher  and  technical education for the visually impaired children, if so, the State-wise details thereof; and
- (d)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  set  up  education  centres  for  the  said  children  in Gurdaspur and Pathankot of Punjab, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF  STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT

(SHRI B.L. VERMA)

(a)  to  (c)  Relief  to  the  disabled  is  a  State  subject  by  virtue  of  entry  9  of  the  State  List  of  the Constitution of India. The Government enacted Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 which came into force on 19.04.2017. The said Act provides for inclusive education under Sections  16  &  17  and  free  education  for  children  with  benchmark  (40%  or  more)  disabilities under  Section  31.  However,  the  Central  government  supplements  the  efforts  of  the  State governments for the welfare of persons with disabilities .

National  Institute  for  the  Empowerment  of  Persons  with  Visual  Disabilities  (NIEPVD), Dehradun under this Department is running a Senior Secondary Model School for the Children with  Visual  Disabilities  (Divyangjan)  at  Dehradun,  Uttarakhand  affiliated  to  CBSE,  and  is imparting education to 248 children with visual impairment from Class Nursery to Class 12th.

NIEPVD provided Accessible learning material to children with visual impairment are as follow:

1. E-Pub/Daisy
2. Human narrated recording
3. Large Print/Audio Books
4. OCR- Structure E-Pub without proofreading
5. Tactile Diagrams
6. Online service through Sugamya Pustakalya

In  addition  to  above,  the  Department  is  also  implementing  following  major  schemes  for  the welfare of persons with disabilities including education to visually impaired children:

- (i) Under  the  Deendayal  Divyangjan  Rehabilitation  Scheme  (DDRS)  of  the  Department, financial  assistance  is  provided  to  the  voluntary  Organizations  for  running  various projects  for  the  welfare/empowerment  of  Persons  with  Disabilities  (PwDs)  including project  of  Special  Schools  for  the  children  with  Visual  Disability  (including  Deaf blindness) with option for Home Based Rehabilitation and Community-Based Rehabilitation Project and Low Vision Centre Project.
- (ii) Department is also implementing an Umbrella Scheme titled 'Scholarships for Students with  Disabilities  (Divyangjan)  under  which  scholarship  is  provided  to  students  with benchmark disabilities.
- (iii)Department is also running a National Action Plan for Skill Development of Persons with Disabilities (NAP-SDP) including children with visual disabilities.
- (iv) Tuition  fees  are  reimbursed  through  the  National  Institutes  under  the  Department  for 100% blind students pursuing STEM subjects from Class 9 to Class 12 under the National Fund of the Department.

As  informed,  the  Department  of  School  Education  &  Literacy,  Ministry  of  Education,    has launched  an  overarching  programme  for  the  school  education  sector  viz;  Samagra  Shiksha Scheme. There is a dedicated Inclusive Education component for the education of Children with Special  Needs  as  an  integral  part  of  Samagra  Shiksha.  The  scheme  covers  all  children  with disabilities as mentioned in the schedule of disabilities of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016.

(d) No such proposal consideration in this regard in the Department.

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