Policy News

Inclusion of children with disabilities benefits society as a whole

Children with disabilities and their communities would both benefit if society focused on what those children can achieve, rather than what they cannot do, according to UNICEF's annual State of the World's Children's report.

Concentrating on the abilities and potential of children with disabilities would create benefits for society as a whole, says the report released today.

Now, EVMs for the visually challenged

For the first time the Election Commission has introduced Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in Braille to help people who have vision disability vote in the May 5 assembly elections in Karnataka.

Official sources said voters with this disability, physically disabled, women voters who come with infants can directly walk into the polling booth without waiting in line for their term.
Senior citizens can also cast their vote without waiting in the queue. The EC has also allowed provision of drinking water to voters.

Campaigning for the May 5 polls ends today.

Make all efforts to utilise funds meant for disabled: Par panel

Anguished over the lapse of funds allocated for the disabled people, a Parliamentary panel has asked the Department of Disability Affairs to make all efforts for full utilisation of its budget in this current fiscal.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment, in its report, also termed "unacceptable" the reasons given by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry for under-utilisation of funds.

Designer footpaths to be disabled-friendly

CHENNAI: Every morning, state government employee Aruna Devi dreads changing buses at Adyar depot to get to Chepauk, where her office,Ezhilagam, is located. Being visually challenged, Aruna prefers putting her life on the line and waiting on the road rather than getting on to an uneven pavement and risking a fall.

New software to issue disability certificate

PUNE: Persons with disabilities can now get computer-based disability certificates at the Sassoon General Hospital which has got the software that helps eliminate fake ones.
The 'Software for Assessment of Disability, Maharashtra' (SADM) issues a unique identification number to do away with the problem of bogus disability certificates. It became operational recently in 42 civil and government medical college hospitals across the state.

Part of affordable houses for physically challenged

The state government is considering reserving a percentage of affordable homes being built through government agencies for the physically challenged, said MoS for Housing Sachin Ahir during question hour in the Legislative Council on Wednesday.

MHADA is fine-tuning a scheme to build 10,000 affordable houses in Goregaon. "Once this is finalised, MHADA will decide number of houses to be reserved for physically challenged. All other categories for which reservations need to be made are also being discussed," said Ahir.

Plans to raise pension for disabled, widow, senior citizens: Govt

Government plans to increase pension for disabled, widow and senior citizens besides making changes in the eligibility criteria for pension payment, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said on Monday.
The current pension of Rs300 per month for widows and physically handicapped, Rs200 for senior citizen and Rs500 to persons above 80 years "is inadequate. It has to be increased," he informed Rajya Sabha during Question Hour.

"We are considering (raising pensions). In next 2-3 months action will be taken," he said.

Does loss of sight mean loss of job?

U.N. convention for disabled to take effect May 3

A U.N. convention aimed at ensuring equal rights for the world's 650million disabled people in work, education and social life will go intoforce on May 3, the United Nations said on Thursday.

The pact,the first of its kind, takes effect 30 days after being ratified by 20countries that have signed it. The world body received ratificationdocuments on Thursday from the 20th country, Ecuador.

Australia signs UN disability protocol

People with disabilities now have another avenue to complain about being discriminated against under an agreement ratified by 40 nations.

Australia has signed up to the UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Optional Protocol.

The protocol, agreed to by 40 nation's, allows complaints to be lodged to the UN if all domestic remedies have been exhausted.

Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes said it was crucial to get a new national disability strategy up and running.