The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment facilitates empowerment of the persons with disabilities, who as per Census 2011 are 2.68 crore and are 2.21 percent of the total population of the Country. These include persons with Seeing, Hearing, Speech, Movement, Mental Retardation, Mental Illness, Multiple Disability and any other disabilities.

Read more: http://disabilityaffairs.gov.in/content/index.php

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Government of India has enacted Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act 2016 which is a comprehensive legislation in line with UNCRPD for empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).  Section 3 of the RPwD Act 2016 prohibits discrimination on the ground of disability. It also prohibits exploitation, abuse and violence against PwDs. It also provides for penalty for violation against any PwDs.

Theme: Eliminate Stigma and Discrimination
Year: 2018
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The Government of India has enacted Rights of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 which guarantees right to education of every child including child with disabilities. Further Section 31 of the RPWD Act mandates the Government to ensure that every child with disabilities pursue his/her school education in a neighbourhood school or special school of his/her choice.

Theme: Inclusive Education
Year: 2018
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The RPwD Act mandates the Government to promote personal mobility of PwDs. The Government is also implementing  a scheme namely Assistance to Disabled Persons For Purchase/Fitting of Aids/Appliances (ADIP) scheme for providing aids and assistive derives to PwDs in order to enabling them to participate in the society. Government has set up Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) for providing affordable and quality assistive devices to PwDs.

Theme: Harnessing Technology and Innovation
Year: 2018
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The Government is implementing Unique Disability ID (UDID) project to create database for PwDs and also to issue unique ID card to each PwDs. The data base is dynamic and capture all vital information relating to PwDS.

Theme: Data Disaggregation
Year: 2018
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The RPwD Act envisages to take appropriate measures to ensure that the women and children with disabilities enjoy their rights equally with others. The Act provides various support to women with disability such as for livelihood support for themselves and upbringing of their children, access to  sexual and reproductive healthcare to  women with disability, protection from sexual violence, abuse etc.

Theme: Women and Girls with Disabilities
Year: 2018
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The RPwD Act provides a framework for creating an inclusive society wherein PwDs can lead a dignified life with others in the society. It mandates mandatory adherence to accessibility standards by all establishment and service providers to create barrier free environment for PwDS in Physical Infrastructure, Transportation and ICT including cultural and recreation. The Act also promotes disability inclusive disaster risk management in all humanitarian emergency situation.

Theme: Conflict and Humanitarian Contexts
Year: 2018
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The National Development Goals of India are well aligned  with SDGs which promote inclusive development. The motto of the Government is to focus on mainstreaming of the last man of the last row. 

India is a party to UNCRPD, SDG and  Incheon Strategy. Further the Government has enacted Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act 2016 which is a comprehensive legislation in line with UNCRPD for empowerment of PwDs. This shows the Political will and commitment at the highest level leadership in India.

As far as leadership and diverse representation of PwDs are concerned, this is to say that PwDs are represented in the Central Advisory Board on disability which is  the Apex Policy recommending body in India on matters relating to disability. More over the Government invariably follows the consultation process with the PwDs and their association while drawing policies and programmes for them. 

Theme: Other
Year: 2018