BJP-VISION-28.9.2011-final-5

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BJP’s approach to include Persons with

Disabilities in theNational Mainstream Development Programs

“Let the noble thoughts come to us from all sides”

- Rig Veda

“Adaptability is not imitation. It means power of resistance and assimilation”

- Mahatma Gandhi

This document prepared by : BJP Mahila Yuva Morcha

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BJP’s approach to include Persons with Disabilities in the National Mainstream

Development Programs

TABLE 1: NUMBER OF DISABLED POPULATION AND TYPE OF DISABILITY

Population Percentage (%)

Total population 1,028,610,328 100.0

Total disabled population 21,906,769 2.1

Disability rate ( per lakh population) 2,130 —

Type of Disability

(a) In seeing 10,634,881 1.0

(b) In speech 1,640,868 0.2

(c) In hearing 1,261,722 0.1

(d) In movement 6,105,477 0.6

(e) Mental 2,263,821 0.2

A VISION DOCUMENT

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Source: Census of India 2001.

Census 2001 has revealed that over 21 million people in India as suffering

from one or the other kind of disability. This is equivalent to 2.1% of the population.

Among the total disabled in the country, 12.6 million are males and 9.3 million are

females, though the number of disabled is more in rural and urban areas. Such

proportion of the disabled by sex in rural and urban areas reported between 57-58

percent for males and 42-43 percent females. The disability rate (number of disabled

per 100,000 populations) for the country as whole works out to 2130. This is

2,369in the case of males and 1,874 in the case of females. Among the five types

of disabilities on which data has been collected, disability in seeing at 48.5%

emerges as the top category. Others in sequence are: In movement (27.9%), Mental

(10.3%), in speech (7.5%), and in hearing (5.8%). The disabled by sex follow a

similar pattern except for that the proportion of disabled females is higher in the

category in seeing and in hearing. Across the country, the highest number of

disabled has been reported from the state of Uttar Pradesh (3.6 million). Significant

numbers of disabled have also been reported from the state like Bihar (1.9 million),

West Bengal (1.8million), Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra (1.6 million each). Tamil

Nadu is the only state, which has a higher number of disabled females than males.

Among the states, Arunachal Pradesh has the highest proportion of disabled males

(66.6%) and lowest proportion of female disabled.

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A VISION DOCUMENT

BJP’s approach to include Persons with Disabilities in the National Mainstream

Development Programs

1. BJP believes that every individual has inherent potential for development of self, family,

community and the nation. Persons with disabilities in India are valuable citizens of the

country and are waiting for equal and appropriate opportunities and are keen to participate

in the process of national development in diverse sectors. India has always steered its

ideas to align with the global conventions and commitments in the disability sector.

(Perhaps it is not incorrect to mention that this top down approach to address disability

issues has led to policies and programs, which is driven from an external environment

and conditions rather than rooted within the parameters of the Indian socio-cultural,

geographic landscapes.)

2. There has been a paradigm shift in thinking and attitudes towards people with disabilities

in recent times. There are global acceptances that people with disability needs no charity

but opportunities. Our society in the past never looked at people with disability as

helpless people as we have a rich heritage of great sages, poets, leaders in science and

technologies and visionaries who excelled in life without disabilities deterring them. In

India we have a rich resource of well-knit families and communities. BJP firmly believes

this treasure should be tapped in building policies and programs for persons with

disabilities by adopting an inclusive approach of seeing family as a unit, as India is

predominantly an interdependent society which gives emphasis to duties and rights

equally.

3. Magnitude of Problem with Disability and the link between Poverty and Disability

The problem of disability is vast and its impact is very severe on the individual, families

and communities. Approximately 5% of the population is affected with some type of

disability. The degree and type of disability varies. BJP acknowledges the fact though

we have some data on disability available; a gap still exists in the area of comprehensive

database on disability, which could be used for planning purpose from Panchayath to

Parliament level.

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The long wait of persons with disabilities for their rightful place in the development of

India must end. The wait has been for equal opportunities and justice. Year 1981 was

the threshold of major developments for disabled persons worldwide. India has been a

signatory for many international commitments and declarations concerning people with

disabilities - UN ESCAP, Salamanca, Biwako millennium framework, and the recent

one are the UN convention on the rights of persons with disability. India has signed

and ratified this convention on 3rd October 2008.The convention has become an

international law as 20 countries signed and ratified the convention in April 2008.

4. Existing challenges

Do we need a rethinking on the policies and strategies adopted so far in disability sector

in India? Does an Indian approach to address disability issues exist if not do we need

one? This is a common question that arises in the minds of people. We need to understand

the disability issues in a country like India, which has diverse social-economic –cultural

and geographic landscapes. BJP acknowledges the fact unless and until we make efforts

to change the environment and remove social-cultural-attitudinal –policy related barriers

in the society wherein persons with disabilities, families with a member with disability

live in the vision of developing inclusive and barrier free society cannot be realized.

A majority of people with disability live in rural /tribal areas of India whereas the majority

of rehabilitation services are based in urban areas. There are thousands of villages with

no access even to basic rehabilitation services, early identification and intervention

education, health, and livelihood opportunities. These gaps exist in urban areas as well.

Disability is a state subject listed in the Indian constitution under the state Government’s

responsibilities.

This means the main responsibility of developing policies; plan of action, supportivelegislation and resource is with the state governments. Further Disability is also listed

as panchayath Raj subject. In order to scale up rehabilitation services and mainstreaming

disabilities issue in the development program Panchayath raj institutions needs to play

an active role. There are most vulnerable groups within the disability. Children with

disability, women with disability, senior citizens with disabilities, persons with disabilities

abandoned by the families are some of the groups who need critical attention during the

policy planning.

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Thereof the changes have to be made at two dimensions. Build enabling socio-cultural

–political –economic environments and empower persons with disability for meaningful

inclusion in the community and participate actively in the national development in

diverse sectors.

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Encourage -Enable-Empower -Vision-2020

TWELVE STEPS-ROADS AHEAD

BJP shall undertake several measures to develop an inclusive and holistic rights/duty

based society, which creates an enabling environment for the actualization of potential inherent

in every person with a disability.

BJP is committed to translate the principles stated in UNCRPD into a grassroots level

reality. BJP believes in building opportunities for persons with disability based on equality

and not charity/pity based approaches.

There are eight general principles states in UN convention on persons with disabilities

and these are:

! Respect for dignity and autonomy;

! Non-discrimination;

! Full and effective participation and inclusion in society;

! Respect for difference;

! Equality of opportunity;

! Accessibility;

! Equality between men and women; and

! Respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities and Respect for

the rights of children with disabilities to preserve their Identities

Step-1

BJP shall develop a comprehensive policy on disability prevention program in the existing

primary health care system, social welfare, road safely, conflict management, prevention of

accidents in work places in addition to the strengthening nutritional status, prevention of

diseases causing disability, safe motherhood programs.

Primary and Secondary prevention

The causes of disability are multifold. There are preventable disabilities, which needsurgent attention. In addition to lack of safe motherhood services, malnutrition, diseases, war,

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accidents causing disability we also see terrorism,

social conflicts adding to the number. In India the key

challenge is both incidence of disability and prevalence

of disability, which are growing simultaneously in spite

of prevention programs to arrest malnutrition,

compulsory immunization, and safe motherhood

initiatives by the government.

Children with disabilities needs to be included

in all programs meant for the holistic development of

children in general without any discrimination. BJP

acknowledges the fact though inclusion in all the

mainstream development program is the goal it is

aware of the fact the need to prepare the mainstream

programs ready for such inclusion. In the absence of

such a preparation mere mainstreaming disability

issues in development programs may lead to mere physical inclusion and may defeat the very

purpose of inclusion.

Step-2BJP shall introduce Mandatory registration of persons with disabilities in rural and

urban areas using VDR and UDR with Smart cards in collaboration with the state governments.

Most persons with disabilities live in rural areas, where as a majority of the services are

available only in urban areas. In order to provide community-based services to all persons

with disabilities, there is a need to develop a data base in rural and urban areas. In order to

take rehabilitation services to every nook and corner in India there is a need to develop

accurate accessible comprehensive data base on disability .BJP shall introduce an innovative

registration of persons with disabilities and also of smart cards using village disability registers

and urban disability registers with OCR developed by CBR NETWORK. This data base

shall function in complimentary with the census data and smart cards such as Aadhar UID

cards issued in India. The VDR and UDR data is maintained at village panchayath level and

readily available for local bodies for planning purpose.

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Step-3

In order to promote 3% of development budget allocation and its effective utilization

for the comprehensive development of persons with disabilities as stated in the Disability

ACT of 1995 ,BJP shall prepare polices and strategic plans and guidelines. BJP shall train alllocal bodies in rural and urban areas using innovative approaches such as satellite television

programs in collaboration with civil societies and organization of persons with disabilities.

Disability ACT that was passed in the year 1995 in India states all state government

must allocate 3% of the poverty alleviation budget for persons with disabilities. But very few

states have allocated 3% of budget provision for persons with disabilities in the development

programs. BJP acknowledges the fact this allocation of funding is critical for planning and

implementation of rehabilitation programs. A budgetary reservation of 3% is necessary at

Panchayath levels as well as in urban local bodies .In addition to a reservation of budget

there is a need for capacity building of local bodies on how to utilize the budgetary provision

effectively.

BJP is aware that funding, capacity building and monitoring must be planned and

implemented effectively.

Step 4BJP shall form a National

commission for empowerment of

persons with disabilities and shall

promote state level commissions in all

states in India.

NDA government had set up national

commission for persons with disabilities in

the year 2003. Unfortunately UPA

government

closed the Commission. There is a need for both national level

and state level commission to develop vision, policies and

programs relevant in Indian context at macro level and relevant

to each state and within the states social-cultural and economic

conditions at the micro level. This kind of conceptual direction

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and path finding efforts is necessary to scale up the rehabilitation services and in the promotion

of inclusive societies.

The commission can play this role effectively with a team of members with expertise

and grassroots level experience.

Step-5

BJP shall set up a Rastriya yuva Vikanlanga samarthya kosh-a national skill bank

of youth with disabilities. This is a data base on the skilled personnel required for national

and provincial development in diverse sectors and a data base on skilled personnel

available at the state level.

Tapping the potential of employable youth with disabilities

Youth with disabilities have the same aspirations and dreams like other younger

population in any society. The impact of disability reaches its peak as youth with disabilities

strive to become independent and become productive member of the society. The ultimate

test of any rehabilitation program is successful and sustainable employment and other

opportunities to young women and men with disabilities. At present there are no enough jobs

for persons with disabilities. In a competitive world young persons with disabilities are

adversely affected as mere quotas and reservation is not enough unless government has policies

to create jobs and livelihood opportunities for persons with disabilities. Scaling up employment

opportunities, facilities for skill development are the need of the hour.

BJP shall develop a comprehensive data on the need for skilled persons in different

sectors to work in a ten year time frame and systematically develop skilled human resources

for meeting the national needs for skills. This would lead to training program for skill

development of the youth with disabilities and employment opportunities based on the national

or state development needs. This unique approach would results in a data bank on skills

needed and availability of human resources to meet the development needs. This would also

lead to identification of skills, persons with disabilities can perform and strategies to remove

barriers in equipping the youth with the necessary skills.

Step 6

BJP shall develop a special package to address the burning issues of women with

disabilities, girls with disabilities and mothers with a child with disability to provide

community based support to ensure they are fully included and have access to health,

education, employment and other social securities.

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Women with Disabilities

Women with disabilities needs to be included within the programs meant for women in

general. This needs a re-look at the existing policies and programs for women in general and

makes it accessible to women with disabilities in all sectors. Women with disabilities aremultiply disadvantaged through their status as women, as persons with disabilities, and

majority numbers as persons living in poverty.

“Around the world, women make up just over 51% of the population. Women with disabilities

are the most marginalized in Indian society. They are deprived of political, Social, Economic,

and health opportunities. The problems of women with disabilities become very complex

with other factors such as social stigma and poverty. Women with disabilities have been

largely neglected when it comes to state policies and its development, the disability and

women’s movements, and rehabilitation programs, and this has become a widely accepted

fact in recent years. Also, “due to numerous societal standards, they continue to be left out of

the decision-making processes.

Although this may seem to be of minor importance, the pattern of ignoring and isolating

disabled women is seen in the national and state level programs. Female infanticide and

feticide is a growing problem in a society and girl child is prone to double discrimination.

BJP acknowledges the fact and the need to develop programs to address the various issues

concerning women with disabilities. This shall include special public awareness on the rights

and needs of a girl child with a disability, allocation of equal resources in all the beneficiary

oriented programs meant for persons with disabilities, inclusive strategies in the programs

mean t for women in general .BJP is also aware of the fact that mother with a child with

severe disability needs special support in caring her child with disability. This may require

support in modification in maternal leave conditions; arrangements for special day care support

though self help groups, conveyance and escort facilities to send their child to school.

Step 7

Sri Atalji Rastriya Samagra Samaj aadharith punarvas (Community Based

Rehabilitation) Abhiyana

Scaling up of basic rehabilitation services

Inclusion of persons with disabilities in the mainstream society is the need of the hour.BJP is committed to promote Community Based Rehabilitation in rural and tribal areas.CBR

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is based on the principle that the best possible support to people with disabilities should be

available closer to the community without disintegrating them away from their families and

the communities. It is a fact indeed that disintegration of people away from families and their

own communities is neither, acceptable or affordable or sustainable in Indian society. Therefore

BJP shall launch national level CBR program titled as Sri Atalji National CBR program to

ensure all panchayaths to introduce CBR activities by using the 3% of development budget

reserved for the development of person with disabilities.

Aging and disability also has a close link.CBR can effectively address aging and disability

concerns. In India with the increase in life expectancy we also see an increased number of

senior citizens with disabilities. BJP acknowledges the fact the rehabilitation strategies must

address the diverse section of our society. National CBR program shall adopt a life cycle

approach and meet the needs of all persons with disabilities living in a village community

without any discrimination based on gender or age or disability.

BJP shall include special package for senior citizens with disabilities as their needs are

different, as they need care giving services and home based support services.

Step-9

Starting Department for Rehabilitation Sciences in Universities

BJP shall promote starting department of Rehabilitation Sciences in one University in

each state for the development human resources and to conduct research and encourage

universities to identify and strengthen the indigenous approach and strategies to address

disability issues.

Step 10

National Rehabilitation Research Fund

BJP shall set up National Rehabilitation Research Fund to develop and nurture talents,

research and development of assistive technology for improving the capacity of people with

disability, develop innovative appropriate rehabilitation methods and strategies, identification

and documentation and dissemination of good practices.

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Step-11

Independent Ministry at the Central Level

BJP is aware that approximately around 3- 5% of our population is affected with some

type of disability. Disability is not only a problem of an individual but it also affects the

entire family. This indicates a large section of our society is directly or indirectly experiencing

the impact of disability. Such a gigantic problem needs tremendous amount of attention by

the policy makers. Added to this issue, we have vast section of senior citizens and older

senior citizens are affected again with some kind of disability. Unless we have a separate

Ministry to address such gigantic issues we cannot plan and implement prorgammes effectively.

In order to achieve this, BJP is committed to set up a separate Ministry at central level and

separate Department with Minister and Secretaries at the State Level.

Step-12

National Institutes needs to be upgraded to autonomous University status

There are 6 national institutes in Secundarbad, Calcutta, Mumbai, Dehradun, Cuttack,

and Chennai for developing research and human resources in the field of disability. The

National Institutes needs to be upgraded to University status to function effectively. BJP

shall upgrade the existing National Institutes to University level of international standards to

meet the national needs.

ANNEXURE:

1. Acts on Disability in India

! The Mental Health Act

! The RCI Act

! The PWD Act

! The National Trust Act

! National policy for persons with disabilities

The Government of India has been proactive in terms of empowering the differently

abled. Several schemes and acts have been framed to ensure of opportunities to become self-

reliant.

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Some major milestones in ensuring that Persons With Disabilities are assured a life of

dignity and self-sufficiency are the enactment of the following Legisation and policies.

1. The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full

Participation Act) 1995.

2. Adoption of The National Policy for Persons with Disabilities - in 2006.

3. Signing and ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons

with Disabilities - (UNCRPD) by India in 2007.

4. The Government is presently in the process of making comprehensive amendments to

the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995 (1.15 MB) – to make it more inclusive and in

keeping with international conventions.

Some highlights of the new bill are:-

! Inclusion of new disabilities such as autism and enlarging the scope of existing

disabilities.

! Setting up of a National Fund for Persons with Disabilities.

! Ensuring an inclusive environment in education, on roads and in built environment.

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Restructuring of the Central and State coordinating Committees as Advisory Boardswith enhanced roles and responsibilities; creation of committees at district levels.

! Emphasis on means to prevent disabilities.

! Affirmative action, including reservation of dwelling units and shops for Persons with

Disabilities.

! Introduction of Disability Pension and Insurance Scheme.

Useful links

http://india.gov.in/spotlight/

http://www.i-add.net/

http://cbrnetworksouthasia.org.in

http://socialjustice.nic.in

http://uncrpdindia.org/

http://www.ccdisabilities.nic.in/

http://www.disabilityindia.org

http://www.medindia.net

http://rehabcouncil.nic.in

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