On 10/04/2013, Vaishnavi Jayakumar (Inclusive India) <[email protected]> wrote: > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: "Disability News and Information Service" <[email protected]> > Date: Apr 10, 2013 2:57 PM > Subject: MSJE Minister sets April 12 deadline for States to send feedback > on proposed new disability law > To: <[email protected]> > Cc: > > *Apologies for cross-posting* > > Dear Friends, > > Please see the news report below, which says that Minister for Social > Justice and Empowerment, Kumari Selja has set April 12 as the deadline for > States to send feedback on the proposed new Rights of Persons with > Disabilities Bill, failing which it will be assumed that they do not have > any comments to make. The news report also says that the Government is keen > to take the Bill to the Monsoon Session of the Parliament. > > Link for the news: > http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/deadline-for-states-on-rights-of-disabled-people_841049.html > > > -- > *Communication Unit: > *National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) > A -77, South Extension Part II > New Delhi - 110 049, India > Tel.: 91-11-26265647 / 26265648 > Websites: www.ncpedp.org and www.dnis.org > > *Find us on > Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Centre-for-Promotion-of-Employment-for-Disabled-People-NCPEDP/270388593023278> > and Twitter <https://twitter.com/dnisindia>* > ** > Deadline for states on rights of disabled people > > New Delhi: Concerned over the delay in response from some states to the > draft bill on the rights of people with disabilities, Minister for Social > Justice and Empowerment Selja has shot off a letter setting a deadline for > feedback on the legislation, which seeks to remove gaps in existing law. > > In her letter to seven chief ministers and a governor late last month, > Selja said that lack of comments from states had led to a delay in giving > final shape to the "important" Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) > Bill. > > She urged the concerned states to send their views by April 12 and noted > that in the absence of comments, it will be presumed that the state has no > comments to offer. > > Sources said letters has been written to the chief ministers of Uttar > Pradesh (Akhilesh Yadav), Punjab (Parkash Singh Badal), Bihar (Nitish > Kumar), Andhra Pradesh (N. Kiran Kumar Reddy), Tamil Nadu (J. > Jayalalithaa), Assam (Tarun Gogoi) and Tripura (Manik Sarkar). The letter > has also been sent to Jharkhand Governor Syed Ahmed as the state is under > president's rule. > > Selja said in her letter that a copy of the RPwD bill had been sent by the > secretary, department of disability affairs last September and the matter > had been subsequently followed up but the states had not sent their > comments. > > "In view of above, I shall be grateful if you could instruct the concerned > officials to send the comments/suggestions, if any, on the draft RPwD bill > by April 12, 2013 to enable this ministry to further proceed in the matter > in getting the proposal finalized. If no comments are received by that > date, we would presume that your state government has no comments on the > matter," the letter said. > > Selja, who was moved to the social justice and empowerment ministry in last > October's cabinet reshuffle, said the states were primarily responsible for > the welfare of people with disabilities and their observations and comments > on such an important bill would serve as valuable inputs for taking a final > view in the matter. > > Sources said the ministry had appointed a committee to draft the new > legislation to replace the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Protection of > Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 and the committee gave its final > draft in June 2011. > > They said that the draft legislation was revised to "make it more > realistic" and incorporate suggestions from other agencies, including the > National Advisory Council. > > They said that the draft bill had been posted on the ministry's website for > wider publicity. The officials said they were keen to table the bill during > parliament's monsoon session in July-August. > > "We will send the bill for inter-ministerial consultations once we are > through with the stage of getting comments from states. We will then move > the cabinet," a ministry official told IANS. > > He said that many of the states that had not sent their comments were large > with a sizeable proportion of disabled people and the ministry was keen to > get their views. > > India has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with > Disabilities (UNCRPD) and is obliged to ensure full realisation of human > rights and fundamental freedoms of people with disabilities without any > discrimination. > > The official said that the new bill reflects commitments made by India > under the UNCRPD. > > He said the draft bill expands the scope and definition of physical > impairments and recognises people with disabilities as equals. > > The draft bill also lays down procedures by which the civil-political > rights guaranteed in the constitution and UNCRPD can be realised for people > with disabilities. > > [image: Deadline for states on rights of disabled people]The 2001 census > had found 21.91 million disabled people in the country but there were > concerns over methodology and definition. > > > [image: Deadline for states on rights of disabled people] > The World Bank had estimated in 2007 that disabled people constituted > between four to eight percent of India's population. > > IANS > Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of > mobile phones / Tabs on: > http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > 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 > >
Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in 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
