nowhere it says that notes and coins should be identifiable by touch On 8/16/18, Kotian, H P <[email protected]> wrote: > All > > I am afraid there are 3 blaring shortcommings in the recommendation: > 1 The shape of symbols should not have been there at all in the > recommendation. This is essentially where RBI has been misguided and they > take it is a final act of making the currency accessible. I am extremely > disappointed in reading this. > 2 It should have been clearly articulated that the size differentiation > should be of minimum 10 mm to its nearest demonomination. This too was not > there. > 3 Finally there should have been a recommendation to withdraw all the > inaccessible notes to be phased out in a phased manner expeditiously. > > We have clearly lost the battle. > > If it all there is something there in the recommendation it is only for the > partially sighted with reference of color differentiation. Totally blind > persons have been miserably sidelined. > > From BGFI we had shared all the good practices and practical recommendation > after making thorough research on the issue on the list. If only it was > looked into. > > Very, very disappointed. > > Harish. > > -----Original Message----- > From: AccessIndia [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf > Of George Abraham > Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2018 3:48 PM > To: AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning > the disabled. <[email protected]> > Subject: [AI] Report on Accessible currency notes > > Hi! > > > > Sharing below the report submitted to the Delhi HC by the Amicus Curie > regarding accessible currency. This report was submitted in the first week > of April 2018. Subsequently, officials of the RBI have been travelling > across the country meeting up with different stakeholder groups and taking > suggestions. If you have any ideas that you might like to share, please feel > free to write to me. Happy to share good and practical ideas with the court > as well as RBI. > > > > > > IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI > > WRIT PETITION(C ) NO.10727 OF 2017 > > > > IN THE MATTER OF : > > All India Confederation of the Blind VS. RBI & Anr. > > > > REPORT OF THE AMICI CURIE ON THE ISSUE OF ACCESSIBILITY OF VISUALLY IMPAIRED > PERSONS TO THE INDIAN CURRENCY > > > > INTRODUCTION: > > > > That Writ petition C No.10727/2017 titled as All India Confederation of the > Blind Vs. Reserve Bank of India & anr. was filed making the following > prayers: > > A) issue a writ/ direction/ order in the nature of mandamus and/ or > certiorari directing, commanding and requiring the Respondent no.'s 1 and 2 > for ensuring/ changing/ modifying all new legal tender bank notes and coins > currently in circulation to make them easily identifiable and differentiable > for all visually impaired, i.e. blind and those with low vision.; and/ or > > B) issue a writ/ direction/ order in the nature of mandamus and/ or > certiorari directing, commanding and requiring the Respondent no.'s 1 and 2 > for withdrawing/ replacing all new legal tender bank notes and coins > currently in circulation in a phase-wise, reasonable and time-bound manner > by issuing fresh/ new legal tender bank notes and coins easily identifiable > and differentiable for all visually impaired, i.e. blinds and those with low > vision. > > Further, Writ Petition ( C) no.9728/2017 titled as Rohit Dandriyal & Ors. > Vs. Reserve Bank of India & Anr. was filed making the following prayers: > > a) Direct the respondent No.1 for issue the new Rupee 50/- with > identification mark for visually impaired persons; > > b) Direct the respondent No.2 for approve the new Rupees 50 which bearing > the identification mark for visually impaired persons. > > c) Direct respondents to withdraw new 50/- rupee note currency without > identification mark for visually impaired persons & also stop the printing > of such currency bank note which is without identification mark for visually > impaired persons. > > Thus, while the writ petition C no.10727/2017 covered the broader issue of > the inclusion of features in bank notes and coins which enable the visually > impaired person to identify currency of different denominations, writ > petition (C) No.9728/2017 is restricted to the issue of identification of > only 50 rupee bank note. > > Vide order dt.16.2.2018 the undersigned were appointed as amici curie to > assist the court in both the petitions. > > Before making recommendations, it is appropriate to give a brief background > of the genesis of the issue involved. Before demonetization, both bank > notes and coins had features such as major difference in size with regard to > bank notes of different denominations and difference in shapes and sizes > with regard to coins of different denominations which enable visually > impaired person to identify currencies of different denominations easily. > However during the process of demonetization and thereater, RBI has issued > new bank notes of Rs.10, 50, 200, 500 & 2000 which is in circulation in the > economy of the country at present. These bank notes do not have features > which could enable visually impaired persons to differentiate between the > bank notes of different denominations. No doubt, there is a very little and > insignificant difference in the size of each denomination of bank notes but > i.e. so negligible that it is difficult to identify bank notes of different > denominations by a visually impaired person. It is claimed that since Rs.50 > note is having some embossed markings in the form of straight lines, the > same meets the accessibility requirement of visually impaired person. > However, it is not so. In the first place, the lines / markings cannot > sustain for long and secondly, these markings have no relationship with the > denomination of Rs.50 to enable visually impaired person to understand what > it stands for. Further, for low vision persons, there is no change of > colours in bank notes of different denominations which is essential for them > to identify different denominations bank notes. A perusal of the affidavit > filed by RBI reveals that RBI had consulted National Association for the > Blind. However, there were various suggestions given by National > Association for the Blind which were not taken into account by RBI while > issuing bank notes. > > LEGAL POSITION > > That Section 12 (4)(a) of Rights of Persons With Disabilities Act 2016 which > came into force w.e.f. April 2017, mandates the appropriate Govt. which > include Central Govt. also to take steps to ensure that all their public > documents are in accessible formats. Thus, accessibility to public > documents besides other infrastructure and services for persons with > disabilities including visually impaired persons is a right recognized by > Rights of Persons With Disabilities Act 2016. Further, section 13 of RPD > Act 2016 recognizes the rights of persons with disabilities including > visually impaired persons to own or inherit property, movable or immovable, > control their financial affairs and have access to bank loans, mortgages and > other forms of financial > > credit. Thus, ability to identify bank notes of different denominations and > coins of different denominations independently is a right vested in visually > impaired person under the Act. Reserve Bank of India is empowered to issue > bank notes of different denominations on the recommendation of Central Board > U/S 25 of Reserve Bank of India Act 1934. Thus, the bank notes issued by > RBI during and after the demonetization do not meet the accessibility > requirements of persons with visual impairment though the said Right of > Accessibility to bank notes is a right recognized by RBI Act. > > RECOMMENDATIONS: > > We have examined the pleadings in both the petitions. Before making the > recommendations, we would like to submit that while finalizing the > recommendations, we have tried to balance larger national economic interest > and rights of persons with visual impairment. Further, the recommendations, > if implemented, will also be useful and beneficial for other segments also > such as illiterate particularly urban and rural poor as the issue of > identification of bank notes and currency is also an issue for them. Based > on these considerations, we make the following recommendations:- > > 1. Central Govt. and Central Board should be directed to provide > distinguishing features in any bank note or coin of different denomination > to be issued hereafter which are identifiable and recognizable easily by > visually impaired persons and also those who cannot read the denominations > printed on the bank notes or engraved on the coins at the time of deciding > on the design, material and form of the bank notes U/s 25 of RBI Act. > > 2. Whenever existing bank notes and coins are withdrawn from circulation, > they should be substituted by the bank notes or coins having such > distinguishing features as recommended in this report. > > 3. The distinguishing features on the bank notes of different > denominations may largely be different shapes in the corner of bank notes > coupled with different sizes of bank notes for different denominations. > Further, the colour of bank notes of different denominations should also be > different. In so far as the coins are concerned, the shape of each of > different denomination coin should be different. To illustrate, it may be > considered that bank note of 10 Rupee denomination may have a triangular > shape of left hand top corner of the note. Further, 50 Rupee note may have > round shape of right hand top corner and so on and so forth. The difference > in the sizes of different denomination bank notes should be in the width and > not in the length of bank note. Similarly, one rupee coin may have round > shape whereas two rupee coin may have quadrilateral shape and so on and so > forth. > > 4. It is learnt that RBI proposes to issue plastic currency on an > experimental basis. It is therefore recommended that while issuing plastic > currency / bank notes, the Central Govt. should ensure that recommended > distinguishing features are incorporated in the said currency making it > possible for visually impaired and other segments of the society to identify > and recognize different denominations currency easily and independently. > > > > > > (S.K. RUNGTA) (GEORGE ABRAHAM) > > Senior Advocate & CEO Score Foundation & > > Amicus Curie Amicus Curie > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI > > WRIT PETITION(C ) NO.10727 OF 2017 > > > > IN THE MATTER OF : > > All India Confederation of the Blind VS. RBI & Anr. > > > > INDEX > > > > S.NO. PARTICULARS PAGES > > > > 1. Report of the Amici Curie on the > > issue of accessibility of visually > > impaired persons to the Indian currency > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > (S.K. RUNGTA) (GEORGE ABRAHAM) > > Senior Advocate & CEO Score Foundation & > > Amicus Curie Amicus Curie > > > > > > > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > [email protected] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. 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