Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 14 The Rajya Sabha passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 by voice vote on Wednesday after introducing 120 amendments. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The Bill lists 21 disabilities — including acid attack injuries — up from the seven categories — blindness; low vision; leprosy cured; mental retardation; mental illness; hearing impairment; and locomotor disability — that currently exist. Among the 21 new disabilities are cerebral palsy; speech and language disability; chronic neurological conditions; autism spectrum disorder; dwarfism; sickle cell disease; acid attack injuries; multiple sclerosis; and Parkinson's disease. The proposed law also gives the central government the power to add to the lost and mandates a 4 per cent reservation in government jobs for persons with ‘benchmark’ disability — that is, 40 per cent disability. Accessibility to public buildings (both government and private) within a specific time frame has also been included in the Bill. Apart from a national and state fund for financial support to those with disabilities, there are also penalties for offences against them. The Bill was based on the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities — of which India is a signatory — and was introduced in Rajya Sabha in February 2014. It was sent to a Parliamentary Standing Committee, which submitted its recommendations in May 2015. The Cabinet cleared the Bill on November 30, 2016. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar “thanked Opposition parties” for their “cooperation” in passing the Bill.