Amen sir. On 8/11/14, Prashant Verma <[email protected]> wrote: > I believe the price of assistive technology is not high due to import > duties > or taxes. > Most of these tools are developed in the west and we have to suffer the > impact of our weak currency. > For example the price of Jaws in US is nearly 1100 dollars and therefore > the cost in India is so high. > > Most devices like voice recorders, talking appliances get the customs > exemption. > Government needs to support development of these technologies in India and > it should do so by coming out with large procurement orders. > Like the Japanese company Plaextalk who developed a special Hindi enabled > lower cost device in response to a tender from NIVH other companies will > also offer lower prices and develop better products. > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: AccessIndia [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf > Of Vidhya Y > Sent: 11 August 2014 16:58 > To: AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning > the disabled. > Subject: Re: [AI] Budget 2014 : a great policy beginning for the blind, by > Avinash Shahi > > Thankyou for sharing your work. > very nice article. > I read about braille currency notes in one news paper and 15 Braille > presses > in another. > but your article summarizes it all. > thanks again. > > > On 8/11/14, avinash shahi <[email protected]> wrote: >> Dear All >> I often keep sharing others articles who have enriched my >> reading/writing skills and helped me to grow as a student. sometimes >> I should share my own work also... isn't it?(Smiles). Do read my small >> piece on the Union Budget 2014 which I wrote for general readers. Keep >> shouring your blessings so that I continue to write and keep >> disability issues in the policy coridors. Quality publications in the >> months to come! Thanks to Mr Akhilesh Shrivastava for giving this >> opportunity to roll my fingers and devote my mind on the Union Budget >> 2014-15. >> >> URL: >> http://icareinfo.in/budget-2014-a-great-policy-beginning-for-the-blind >> / >> August 7, 2014 >> >> >> The Union Budget 2014, which was the first full-fledged Budget >> presented by the Modeled NDA government envisaged several schemes for >> persons with blindness in India. It proposed to lay foundation of 15 >> more Braille presses, aimed to prepare a plan with RBI to provide >> Indian currency with Braille signage, called for the establishment of >> National Institute of Inclusive and Universal Design and proposed for >> National Centre for Disability sports. The Indian government for the >> first time allocated Rs 560 crore to the Department of Disability >> Affairs under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for five >> years. Such huge budgetary allocation to the disability sector created >> a buzz in the print media and some of the prominent national daily >> published an Editorial lauding government's initiative. >> Despite the slue of measures proposed by the Finance Minister Arun >> Jaitely in the Union Budget 2014, Activists working with blind people >> expressed apprehensions on realizing these goals. They strongly argue >> that proposal for providing currency embossed in Braille to blind >> people is not feasible. Notes with Braille signs will wear out >> soon.Raised dots will not remain on banknote in the long run. RBI, >> India's apex bank proposed to introduce plastic notes of Rs. 10 but >> its trial has been delayed for indefinite period. Many countries such >> as Canada and Chile provide tactile feature in a corner on printed >> notes for the blind people. But such feature is of no help for those >> who do not know Braille and become blind late in their lives. Given >> the technological advancements over the years, many techy tools >> couldprove handy for identifying different denominations of notes by >> the blind. >> >> The persons with disabilities were expecting doubling of tax exemption >> but the Finance Minister did not address this concern. The Union >> Budget also disappointed disability sector by not proposing measures >> to fulfilling long pending demand of 3 per cent employment despite >> recent Supreme Court's landmark judgment. Blind women who face >> discrimination in myriad ways in the society have not received any >> specific attention in the Union Budget. Over the last one decade >> Screen reading software such as JAWS has become popular among blind >> computer literate. But this software is too costly to afford for >> majority of blind students who belong to humble family background. >> They hoped that the Union Budget 2014 would provide import duty >> waivers and excise exemptions so that majority of poor blind people >> could be able to buy software for their educational needs. But Budget >> had no provision facilitating such relaxation. >> >> The proposed schemes for blind people in the Union Budget 2014 clearly >> manifest government's conventional understanding about the challenges >> face by blind people. The Union Ministers and the senior bureaucrats >> are yet to be made aware about the technological developments which >> have proved boon for blind in the country and need consistent >> governmental support. Nonetheless, Budget 2014 was historic in many >> sense for disability sector. Now onus lies on the disability rights >> activists to unitedly negotiate and lobby with the government to see >> the proper implementation of the proposals in the Budget. Right to >> Information (RTI) Act could be wisely used by activists working with >> the blind people to highlight the sectoral spending of huge outlays >> proposed to the Department of Disability Affairs in the 12 5 year >> plan. Narendra Modi government deserves kudos for embarking on a >> progressive policy initiative; which if properly actuated on the >> ground may usher in transformative change in the living standards of >> blind people in the country Avinash Shahi a Visually Impaired, at >> present Ph.D student at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance >> Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi >> >> >> -- >> Avinash Shahi >> Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU >> >> >> >> Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing >> accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: >> http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_acc >> essindia.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_accessind > ia.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.. >
-- Avinash Shahi Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU 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..
