Insta
Lok Sabha Passes Disability Bill On The Last Day Of Parliament. Here Are The Bill’s Highlights.
Swarajya Staff
Dec 16, 2016, 03:51 PM | Updated 03:51 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
The Lok Sabha today (16 December) passed by voice vote the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, which makes accessibility a mandatory requirement. Replacing the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, the bill has been brought in to comply with the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which India signed in 2007.
Highlights of the Bill
- The Bill covers 19 disability conditions instead of the seven in the 1995 Act. It recognises disabilities resulting from acid attacks and Parkinson’s Disease, among others.
- The Bill confers several rights and entitlements to disabled persons, including disabled-friendly access to all public buildings, hospitals, modes of transport and so on.
- Benefits such as reservations in education and employment and preference in government schemes will be available to persons with at least 40 per cent disability. The reservation ceiling has been raised to 5 per cent, from the 3 per cent provided in the older version of the Act.
- Two types of guardianship will become available to mentally-ill persons. One will involve a guardian taking decisions jointly with the disabled person and the other, a guardian taking decisions on behalf of the mentally ill person without consulting him or her.
- Anyone violating the rules of the Act could face imprisonment up to six months and/or fine of Rs 10,000. Subsequent violations will carry a higher penalty.
With inputs from IANS
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.