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Advocacy and Policy Notes for 11th Five Year Plan
Mid-term Review of 10th Five Year Plan — Social Justice and Empowerment
Development and empowerment of … disabled … in order to bring them at par with the rest of society is a commitment enshrined in the constitution. This is done by adopting the approach of ‘social justice’ to ensure equal rights, access to benefits and resources and ‘empowerment’ to enable them to develop their potential and capacities as agents of social change, through the process of planned development.
Persons with Disability
The Persons with Disabilities Act (PWD Act) aims to empower persons with disabilities with a right to demand an enabling environment in which they can enjoy protection of rights, equal opportunities and full participation in developmental activities
State Governments have not made much progress in the effective implementation of the Act. Some states have not even constituted the mandatory State Coordination Committees (SCC). Where they have been constituted no meetings have been held.
Component Plan for the Disabled
To ensure financial support, the 10th plan advocated the introduction of a Component Plan for the Disabled in the budget of all ministries / departments to ensure regular flow of funds for schemes / programmes for empowerment of the disabled.
The Ministry of Social Justice has expressed its difficulty in implementing this suggestion.
Not much progress has been made
Not much progress has been made
Six National Institutes for Persons with Disabilities
- The National Institute for Visually Handicapped
- The National Institute for the Orthopaedically Handicapped
- The Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped
- The National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped
- The National Institute for Rehabilitation, Training and Research
- The National Institute for Physically Handicapped
- Offer a variety of long-term training programmes and shorter period degree and diploma courses
- Currently these institutes are paying attention to building up technical manpower
- Their role in the area of research and development and up-gradation of services has been very limited and this needs to be strengthened to develop cost effective aids and appliances
- Activities need to be evaluated so as to modify / diversify training programmes and make them more relevant to the available job opportunities
Scheme to Promote Voluntary Action
- The common objective is to promote voluntary efforts for the welfare and development of Persons with Disabilities
- Therefore any voluntary organisation working for the disabled is funded
- There is an urgent need to promote credible voluntary organisations (especially in Punjab, Haryana, U.P, Bihar and Jharkhand.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
- Facilitates delivery of various rehabilitation services to Persons with Disabilities
- Extends financial, technical and administrative support to public institutions and voluntary organisations so they can enlarge the scope of vocational and professional opportunities, income generation opportunities and promote formal as well as informal employment through placement services
- Provides funds to voluntary organisations working in the various fields
- Has a well-developed system of monitoring its schemes, programmes and institutions / organisations, but there is a need to further strengthen the system
- There should be more vigilance involving state governments and independent private institutions to keep check on the misuse of funds.
The Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchasing / Fitting of Aids and Appliances Scheme (ADIP)
- Has had a direct impact on the lives of indigent disabled persons through the supply of durables, standard sophisticated aids and appliances
- Voluntary Organisations, Red Cross Societies, National Institutes and Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Company (ALIMCO) are provided grant-in-aid for their purchase, fabrication and distribution
- The fund utilisation and coverage of beneficiaries, indicate good progress
The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI)
- Set up in 1986 to regulate and monitor training policies and programmes for Persons with Disabilities , prescribe minimum standards of education and training for various categories of professionals dealing with Persons with Disabilities, regulating these standards in all training institutions country-wide to bring uniformity recognising institutions / universities running courses in the field of rehabilitation, recognising foreign degree / diploma / certificates awarded by universities / institutions on a reciprocal basis, promoting research in rehabilitation of a Central Rehabilitation Register and related matters
- In addition – it has also been involved in the training of special educators and medical professional / personnel
- This is outside of RCI’s mandate and also overlaps with the activities of the National Institutes and Agencies
It should therefore stick with its given mandate
The National Handicapped Finance Development Corporation (NHFDC)
- Set up in 1997 to promote economic empowerment of Persons with Disabilities through financing of self-employment ventures and assisting beneficiaries in the upgradation of technical and entrepreneurship skills
- The Corporation has been doing satisfactory work. However, there is need to reduce the administrative costs and to improve the loan recovery position
Issues of Concern
The progress of implementation of the PWD Act by the states has not been very encouraging
The expenditure under the implementation of the PWD Act scheme has only been 10.82% of approved 10th Plan outlay in the first 3 years of the plan.
The Way Forward
Evaluate the activities of the various National Institutes for PWD from time to time and modify their training programmes to make them more relevant to available job opportunities
Promote credible voluntary organisations in states where their presence is weak
Evaluate the functioning of ALIMCO to assess how it caters to the needs of the poorer segments of the disabled population
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