Separate ministry sought for disabled

 
"The Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment is not able to fully focus on the issue of disability. With issues of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes, Minorities and the other equally pressing issues demanding attention, the Minister is unable to find the time for issues concerning disabled people," said Disability Action Group convener Javed Abidi, in a letter addressed to the Prime Minster.

Pointing out that Persons with Disability Act has not been implemented in toto even after 14 years of its enactment, the letter said that the demand to bring disability under an independent minister has been gaining ground with more than 70 million disabled persons in the country.

India is also a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability - the framework that warrants greater focus on disability affairs, the letter has mentioned.

Acknowledging the difficulties in establishing a full-fledged ministry immediately, Abidi has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to consider implementing the mandate set forth in the 16th  Five Year Plan - to convert the Disability Division under the ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment into a department.

Strengthening dept

Clause 6.188 of the Planning Commission document states that the Disability Division of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment shall be strengthened with the status of a separate department, so that they can effectively liaise with all the Ministries/Departments concerned  and ensure that they fulfil their responsibility towards disabled persons, including the financial support enjoined on them.

“This gesture would send a strong message not only to India, but to the whole world, about your Government's commitment to the cause of disability," Abidi said in his letter.