vow! Mr. chief commissioner! great! On 2/28/14, SC Vashishth <[email protected]> wrote: > From reliable sources, I have obtained the following letter sent by the > Chief Commissioner- Disabilities to the Hon'ble Prime Minister today > morning in light of the Cabinet Meeting, on the lathicharge and also move > to bring in an ordinance. Worth reading... > > > > Ref.No.01-9/CCD/2011 Dated: 28th February, > 2014 > > > > > Respected Prime Minister > > > > > > I am the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities appointed by your > government. I am writing to you because of certain recent developments, > which could cause both national and international embarrassment to the > country and therefore your personal intervention is necessary. > > > > The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment introduced the Rights to > Persons with Disabilities Bill 2014 in the Rajya Sabha in January. The Bill > was introduced in fulfilment of our international commitment to bring the > Indian law in conformity with the United Nations Convention on the Rights > of Persons with Disabilities which India has since ratified. A large number > of disability rights activists found the Bill to fail on the CRPD standard > and consequently the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha referred the Bill to a > House Committee. > > > > Subsequently, a number of rumours started to float that the government > intends to bring the Bill in the shape of an ordinance, which was > problematic because disability rights is not an unoccupied legislative > field. The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of > Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 already controls the area. If the > Bill of 2014 is promulgated as Ordinance, it cannot become operable unless > the Act of 1995 is repealed. The Act of 1995 has empowered a series of > individuals, bodies and authorities to implement the statute; all these > entities would become dysfunctional if the Act of 1995 is repealed but > there would be no time to establish and render functional the new > authorities because an ordinance can remain operable for a maximum period > of seven and a half months without obtaining parliamentary approval. The > enactment of the Bill through the Ordinance route will obtain no benefit to > the 13 new impairments, which the Government intends to include in the > Ordinance; but would create an enforcement vacuum even for the disabilities > already included in the 1995 Act. > > > > I have also come to know that the government is not planning to promulgate > the Disability Bill of 2014 as an Ordinance but is planning to promulgate > an Ordinance for the limited purpose of amending the Persons with > Disabilities Act of 1995 by including impairments which have been long > excluded from the benefit of the law. This amendment of the definition of > disability in the Act of 1995 will be supported by the entire disability > community. > > > > However since no statement has been issued by the government on the > substantive content of the Ordinance that is to be promulgated and the > enactment of Bill as Ordinance would cause irreparable harm to persons with > disabilities, they have been agitating against the Ordinance in the length > and breadth of the country. Some of them I am given to understand were > injured in police lathi charge whist agitating outside the AICC and the > Congress Vice-President's office. Whilst the Indian media has not covered > the occurrence (except The Hindu dated 28.02.2014), it has been widely > covered in the social media and I am receiving innumerable calls and > e-mails from colleagues outside the country as to how a country which has > ratified the CRPD can so deal with its persons with disabilities. > > > > In the circumstances, I am writing to urge your office to issue a statement > that the proposed Ordinance only aims to amend the Act of 1995 and not to > enact the Disability Rights Bill of 2014. This statement from your office > will restore peace and assuage the tempers of a highly agitated community > and also give out a clear message to the international community that India > is totally sworn to its international commitments. > > > > I am sir, the first person with disability who has been appointed as the > Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities and am committed to the > cause both personally and officially. I would be more than willing to brief > you in person in the matter, if I am granted an appointment. > > > > With warm regards, > > Yours Sincerely, > > > > > > ( P .K. Pincha ) > > > > > > Shri Manmohan Singh > > Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, > > South Block, Raisina Hill, > > *New Delhi - 110 011* > > > > > > Copy to: Hon'ble Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of > India, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi-110001 > > > > > -- > Warm regards, > > Subhash Chandra Vashishth > Mobile: +91 (11) 9811125521 > Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to. Consider > environment! > > > 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 > > > 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. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. >
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 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. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
