Lok Sabha Question No. 2631 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-19
Subject: Thalassemia and Chronic Diseases as Disability
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Ritesh Pandey, Shashi Tharoor

## Government of India

## Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

## Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities

## Lok Sabha

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2631

TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.12.2023

## THALASSEMIA AND CHRONIC DISEASES AS DISABILITY

## 2631. SHRI RITESH PANDEY:

DR. SHASHI THAROOR

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

- (a) whether  the  persons  with  Thalassemia  and  other  chronic  disability  under  the  Rights  of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD) are not allowed the 4% employment reservation and if so, the reasons therefor ;
- (b) the  details  of  the  parameters  and  resources  relied  upon  to  determine  disabilities  fit  for reservation in employment under RPwD Act 2016; and
- (c) the number of people living with different kinds of chronic disability in the country, State/UT wise.

## ANSWER

Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment

## ( SUSHRI PRATIMA BHOUMIK)

(a) As per Section 34 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, persons with blood disorders including Thalassemia are not eligible for the benefit of reservation in jobs in Government Establishments. The said Act inter-alia provides reservation of not less than 4 per cent  in  vacancies  in  Government  establishments  to  the  following  categories  of  persons  with benchmark disabilities:-

| (a)   | blindness and low vision                                                                                            | 1%   |
|-------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------|
| (b)   | deaf and hard of hearing                                                                                            | 1%   |
| (c)   | locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy; | 1%   |
| (d)   | autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness;                                   | 1%   |
| (e)   | multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (d) including deaf- blindness.                      |      |

- (b)  Extensive  consultation  with  concerned  central  Ministries/Departments,  all  States/UTs  and other  stakeholders  including  civil  societies  was  undertaken  before  the  Rights  of  Persons  with Disabilities Act, 2016 was passed by the Parliament.
- (c)  Chronic  disability  has  not  been  defined  under the Rights  of  Persons  with  Disabilities  Act, 2016. However, the Government relies on the Census, 2011 for disability related data. State/UT wise number of persons with Disabilities is at Annexure .

*****

## Annexure referred to in reply of part(c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No.2631 for answer on 19.12.2023 regarding Thalassemia And Chronic Diseases As Disability

## Annexure

| State-wise Disability-wise Population as per Census, 2011   | State-wise Disability-wise Population as per Census, 2011   | State-wise Disability-wise Population as per Census, 2011   | State-wise Disability-wise Population as per Census, 2011   | State-wise Disability-wise Population as per Census, 2011   | State-wise Disability-wise Population as per Census, 2011   | State-wise Disability-wise Population as per Census, 2011   | State-wise Disability-wise Population as per Census, 2011   | State-wise Disability-wise Population as per Census, 2011   | State-wise Disability-wise Population as per Census, 2011   | State-wise Disability-wise Population as per Census, 2011   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|
| S.N.                                                        | State/UT Name                                               | Total No. of PwDs                                           | In seeing                                                   | In Hearing                                                  | In Speech                                                   | In Movement                                                 | Mental Retardation                                          | Mental Illness                                              | Any Other                                                   | Multiple Disability                                         |
| 1                                                           | Jammu & Kashmir                                             | 361153                                                      | 66448                                                       | 74096                                                       | 18681                                                       | 58137                                                       | 16724                                                       | 15669                                                       | 66957                                                       | 44441                                                       |
| 2                                                           | Himachal Pradesh                                            | 155316                                                      | 26076                                                       | 26700                                                       | 8278                                                        | 32550                                                       | 8986                                                        | 5166                                                        | 29024                                                       | 18536                                                       |
| 3                                                           | Punjab                                                      | 654063                                                      | 82199                                                       | 146696                                                      | 24549                                                       | 130044                                                      | 45070                                                       | 21925                                                       | 165607                                                      | 37973                                                       |
| 4                                                           | Chandigarh                                                  | 14796                                                       | 1774                                                        | 2475                                                        | 961                                                         | 3815                                                        | 1090                                                        | 756                                                         | 2583                                                        | 1342                                                        |
| 5                                                           | Uttarakhand                                                 | 185272                                                      | 29107                                                       | 37681                                                       | 12348                                                       | 36996                                                       | 11450                                                       | 6443                                                        | 30723                                                       | 20524                                                       |
| 6                                                           | Haryana                                                     | 546374                                                      | 82702                                                       | 115527                                                      | 21787                                                       | 116026                                                      | 30070                                                       | 16191                                                       | 116821                                                      | 47250                                                       |
| 7                                                           | Nct Of Delhi                                                | 234882                                                      | 30124                                                       | 34499                                                       | 15094                                                       | 67383                                                       | 16338                                                       | 10046                                                       | 37013                                                       | 24385                                                       |
| 8                                                           | Rajasthan                                                   | 1563694                                                     | 314618                                                      | 218873                                                      | 69484                                                       | 427364                                                      | 81389                                                       | 41047                                                       | 199696                                                      | 211223                                                      |
| 9                                                           | Uttar Pradesh                                               | 4157514                                                     | 763988                                                      | 1027835                                                     | 266586                                                      | 677713                                                      | 181342                                                      | 76603                                                       | 946436                                                      | 217011                                                      |
| 10                                                          | Bihar                                                       | 2331009                                                     | 549080                                                      | 572163                                                      | 170845                                                      | 369577                                                      | 89251                                                       | 37521                                                       | 431728                                                      | 110844                                                      |
| 11                                                          | Sikkim                                                      | 18187                                                       | 2772                                                        | 5343                                                        | 1577                                                        | 2067                                                        | 516                                                         | 513                                                         | 2459                                                        | 2940                                                        |
| 12                                                          | Arunachal Pradesh                                           | 26734                                                       | 5652                                                        | 8127                                                        | 1538                                                        | 3235                                                        | 1264                                                        | 631                                                         | 3878                                                        | 2409                                                        |
| 13                                                          | Nagaland                                                    | 29631                                                       | 4150                                                        | 8940                                                        | 2294                                                        | 3828                                                        | 1250                                                        | 995                                                         | 4838                                                        | 3336                                                        |
| 14                                                          | Manipur                                                     | 58547                                                       | 19194                                                       | 12891                                                       | 2661                                                        | 5315                                                        | 4846                                                        | 1459                                                        | 8628                                                        | 3553                                                        |
| 15                                                          | Mizoram                                                     | 15160                                                       | 2035                                                        | 3354                                                        | 1163                                                        | 1976                                                        | 1585                                                        | 1050                                                        | 1914                                                        | 2083                                                        |
| 16                                                          | Tripura                                                     | 64346                                                       | 10828                                                       | 11695                                                       | 4567                                                        | 11707                                                       | 4307                                                        | 2909                                                        | 11825                                                       | 6508                                                        |
| 17                                                          | Meghalaya                                                   | 44317                                                       | 6980                                                        | 12353                                                       | 2707                                                        | 5312                                                        | 2332                                                        | 2340                                                        | 8717                                                        | 3576                                                        |
| 18                                                          | Assam                                                       | 480065                                                      | 80553                                                       | 101577                                                      | 39750                                                       | 76007                                                       | 26374                                                       | 18819                                                       | 87461                                                       | 49524                                                       |
| 19                                                          | West Bengal                                                 | 2017406                                                     | 424473                                                      | 315192                                                      | 147336                                                      | 322945                                                      | 136523                                                      | 71515                                                       | 402921                                                      | 196501                                                      |
| 20                                                          | Jharkhand                                                   | 769980                                                      | 180721                                                      | 165861                                                      | 46684                                                       | 147892                                                      | 37458                                                       | 20157                                                       | 112372                                                      | 58835                                                       |
| 21                                                          | Odisha                                                      | 1244402                                                     | 263799                                                      | 237858                                                      | 68517                                                       | 259899                                                      | 72399                                                       | 42837                                                       | 172881                                                      | 126212                                                      |
| 22                                                          | Chhattisgarh                                                | 624937                                                      | 111169                                                      | 92315                                                       | 28262                                                       | 190328                                                      | 33171                                                       | 20832                                                       | 76903                                                       | 71957                                                       |
| 23                                                          | Madhya Pradesh                                              | 1551931                                                     | 270751                                                      | 267361                                                      | 69324                                                       | 404738                                                      | 77803                                                       | 39513                                                       | 295035                                                      | 127406                                                      |
| 24                                                          | Gujarat                                                     | 1092302                                                     | 214150                                                      | 190675                                                      | 60332                                                       | 245879                                                      | 66393                                                       | 42037                                                       | 197725                                                      | 75111                                                       |
| 25                                                          | Daman& Diu                                                  | 2196                                                        | 382                                                         | 309                                                         | 149                                                         | 620                                                         | 176                                                         | 89                                                          | 264                                                         | 207                                                         |
| 26                                                          | Dadra &Nagar Haveli                                         | 3294                                                        | 429                                                         | 715                                                         | 201                                                         | 682                                                         | 180                                                         | 115                                                         | 483                                                         | 489                                                         |
| 27                                                          | Maharashtra                                                 | 2963392                                                     | 574052                                                      | 473271                                                      | 473610                                                      | 548418                                                      | 160209                                                      | 58753                                                       | 510736                                                      | 164343                                                      |
| 28                                                          | Andhra Pradesh (Undivided)                                  | 2266607                                                     | 398144                                                      | 334292                                                      | 219543                                                      | 538934                                                      | 132380                                                      | 43169                                                       | 409775                                                      | 190370                                                      |
| 29                                                          | Karnataka                                                   | 1324205                                                     | 264170                                                      | 235691                                                      | 90741                                                       | 271982                                                      | 93974                                                       | 20913                                                       | 246721                                                      | 100013                                                      |
| 30                                                          | Goa                                                         | 33012                                                       | 4964                                                        | 5347                                                        | 5272                                                        | 5578                                                        | 1817                                                        | 1675                                                        | 5784                                                        | 2575                                                        |
| 31                                                          | Lakshadweep                                                 | 1615                                                        | 337                                                         | 224                                                         | 73                                                          | 361                                                         | 112                                                         | 96                                                          | 183                                                         | 229                                                         |
| 32                                                          | Kerala                                                      | 761843                                                      | 115513                                                      | 105366                                                      | 41346                                                       | 171630                                                      | 65709                                                       | 66915                                                       | 96131                                                       | 99233                                                       |
| 33                                                          | Tamil Nadu                                                  | 1179963                                                     | 127405                                                      | 220241                                                      | 80077                                                       | 287241                                                      | 100847                                                      | 32964                                                       | 238392                                                      | 92796                                                       |
| 34                                                          | Puducherry                                                  | 30189                                                       | 3608                                                        | 6152                                                        | 1824                                                        | 9054                                                        | 2335                                                        | 853                                                         | 4137                                                        | 2226                                                        |
| 35                                                          | A& N Island                                                 | 6660                                                        | 1084                                                        | 1219                                                        | 531                                                         | 1593                                                        | 294                                                         | 364                                                         | 838                                                         | 737                                                         |
|                                                             | Total                                                       | 2,68,14,994                                                 | 50,33,43 1                                                  | 50,72,914                                                   | 19,98,692                                                   | 54,36,826                                                   | 15,05,964                                                   | 7,22,880                                                    | 49,27,589                                                   | 21,16,698                                                   |