Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'LS should approve the Bill for Disabled' that was published in Newsband

LS should approve the Bill for Disabled

Passing of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill by Rajya Sabha is a great thing to happen. Disabled are the most marginalised section of Indian society. The Lok Sabha should approve this Bill.

This bill covers as many as 19 conditions — nearly three times the number of disabilities accorded legal protection under the 1995 law. Relaxation of the upper age limit to access primary and higher education is a great move considering the low and delayed enrolment of disabled children in formal schooling.

Appropriate avenues of occupation for the disabled should be carefully worked out. New technology enables people with disability to undertake tasks that may once have been outside their reach. The number of the disabled in India is anywhere between 5 and 10 per cent of the population. Their integration into the mainstream is very necessary.

Passing of the bill is a good step for disabled person. This law will bring lot of freedom and chance of success for such people. All laws are good. The problem arises when these are abused or misused. So proper checks and balances should be provided in the law itself to prevent this.

This is one of the most non-controversial subjects and Lok Sabha should pass the law without any delay by debating the amendments proposed by human rights activists and specialists in disabled persons. The differently abled persons must receive the benefits of modern technology and the government should assure provision of the aids for all categories of disabled persons so that they can live and work on par with normal persons without any disadvantage.

This law should be enforced. We never know, there can be many gems among the differently abled people who can contribute towards the economy and other growth aspects of India. So they should get fair enough opportunities to compete with the normal crowd.

This fine piece of legislation improves the existing rights of the disabled and provides new rights enhancing the disabled to come out of despair and dejection and to lead an abled life. The rights for education, priority in public employment and well drafted redressal mechanism - all are revised with humanity. Beyond this government must give all the tax sops to private establishments engaging the disabled in employment and providing them facilities and livelihood. The disabled must use the new law to their optimum benefit to come out from depressed state of mind.