Lok Sabha Question No. 232 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-02
Subject: Accessibility of School Campuses for Persons with Disabilities
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Shri Vishnu Dayal Ram

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 232 TO BE ANSWERED ON- 02/12/2025

## ACCESSIBILITY OF SCHOOL CAMPUSES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

## 232 . Shri Vishnu Dayal Ram :

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

- (a) whether all Government and private school campuses have been made accessible for persons with disabilities in line with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016;
- (b) if not, the number and percentage of schools yet to be made accessible;
- (c) the roadmap for achieving total accessibility across schools and colleges; and
- (d) whether any special funds have been allocated for this purpose and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT

## (SHRI B L VERMA)

(a) & (b) No, Sir. Since Education, including construction and maintenance of school buildings, is  primarily  the  responsibility  of  respective  State/UT  Governments  and   'works,  lands  and buildings' fall under the State List, ensuring accessibility in school infrastructure rests with the appropriate Government in accordance with Sections 41, 44 and 45 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016.

The Central Government remains committed to supporting accessibility in all schools . Through the  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  -  Samagra  Shiksha  and  PM-SHRI,  financial  assistance  is provided  to  States/UTs  for  creating  barrier-free  access,  including  ramps,  handrails,  accessible toilets and other Inclusive Education (IE) interventions for Children with Special Needs (CwSN) in line with the RPwD Act, 2016.

As per Ministry of  Education's  Unified  District  Information System  for  Education  Plus (UDISE+)  report  ,  2024-25,  out  of  14.71  lakh  schools  in  the  country,  11.64  lakh  schools

(79.12%)  have  ramps,  8.08  lakh  schools  (54.92%)  have  ramps  with  handrails  and  5.23  lakh schools (35.55%) have CwSN-friendly toilets.

(c) The  Government  has  notified  the  " Accessibility  Code  for  Educational  Institutions "  for schools and the " Accessibility Guidelines and Standards for Higher Education Institutions " for universities.  These  frameworks  mandate  strict  adherence  to  cross-disability  standards  for  new infrastructure  and  provide  cost-effective  retrofitting  solutions  for  existing  campuses,  ensuring facilities like ramps, accessible restrooms, and assistive technologies are universally available.

(d) The Government supports States/UTs in the construction of CwSN-friendly infrastructuresuch  as  ramps,  ramps  with  handrails,  and  barrier-free  toilets-through  Samagra  Shiksha  and PM-SHRI scheme, based on their proposals placed before the Project Approval Board (PAB).

Department  of  Empowerment  of  Persons  with  Disabilities  implements  an  Umbrella  SchemeScheme for  Implementation  of  Rights  of  Persons  with  Disabilities  (SIPDA)  Act,  2016  under which, vide sub-scheme 'Scheme for Creation of Barrier Free Environment' (CBFE Scheme) grants  may  be  given  on  demand  basis  for  creation  of  barrier  free  environment  in  existing government buildings including government schools, Universities and colleges campuses as per specific proposals received from States/UTs.

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