Lok Sabha Question No. 2504 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-10
Subject: Rights of Disabled People
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Shri Rajkumar Chahar

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

## LOK SABHA

## 2504. Shri Rajkumar Chahar :

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

- (a) whether the Government is making any effort to ensure the rights of disabled people in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the  Government is planning to provide the service of specially trained teachers to teach disabled children in the country, if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) whether  the  State  Governments  are  legally  bound  to  adopt  the  qualification  prescribed  by Rehabilitation  Council  of  India  (RCI)  as  the  eligibility  criteria  for  imparting  training  to disabled children in the country; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE & EMPOWERMENT

(SHRI B.L. VERMA)

(a) & (b):  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 4% reservation to persons with benchmark disabilities (PwBDs)  in  government  employment  and  5%  reservation  for  PwBDs  in  institutions  imparting Higher-Education which are 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

UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2504 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10/12/2024

## 'RIGHTS OF DISABLED PEOPLE'

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

(c):  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.

(d) & (e): 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.

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