Lok Sabha Question No. 2332 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-08-04
Subject: Education to Differently Abled Children
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: VIJAY KUMAR S.R.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT

DEPARTMENT OF EMPOWERMENT OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITY

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2332

TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2015

**EDUCATION TO DIFFERENTLY ABLED CHILDREN**

**2332: SHRI S.R. VIJAYAKUMAR:**

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

(a) the steps taken by Government to facilitate education of children with disabilities;

(b) the proportion of such children enrolled in primary, secondary and higher secondary schools and those pursuing higher education;

(c) the funds allocated and utilised by the Government on research and technology for differently abled in the country during the last three years and the current year and the outcome thereof; and

(d) the number of audio-libraries functioning in the country for the benefit of the visually challenged?

**ANSWER**

**MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT**

**(SHRI KRISHANPAL GURJAR)**

1. The Department is implementing Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) under which the Central Government has been providing financial assistance only in the form of grant in aid to Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) for their projects  for the differently abled persons relating to rehabilitation of persons with disabilities to enable them to reach and maintain their optimal, physical, sensory, intellectual, psychiatric, or social functional levels in the country,  including  special schools for the differently abled persons for imparting education to visually handicapped, hearing handicapped, mentally retarded all over the country.

(b) No such data is maintained.

(C) A dedicated Central Sector Scheme as “Research on disability related technology, product and issues” has been   launched in January, 2015 by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. An amount of Rs. 50.00 lakhs is allocated for this scheme for the year 2015-16. No fund has been released so far under this scheme.

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Department of Electronics and information Technology (DeitY) has supported a project entitled ‘Adaptable e-Learning Accessibility Model for the Disabled’ to Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Knowledge Park, Banglore, jointly with CDAC Hyderabad with total outlay of Rs. 402.87 lakhs and total duration of 35 months. The project was completed on March 31, 2014.

As a major outcome of the project an Adaptable and Accessible e-Learning  framework has been developed for Children with mild mental retardation and autism. This framework is named as “e-Saadhya”.  This framework is available in three Indian languages – Hindi, Kannada and Telugu. This framework is also integrated with Learning Management System “e-Sikshak” and mobile component is also brought into this framework.

(d) Under the National Institute of Visually Handicapped (NIVH) there are 17 audio libraries in the country. The NIVH has also set up 64 Talking Book Libraries Extension Counters to provide audio library services for the benefit of visually challenged.

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