The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, which aims to secure and enhance the rights and entitlements of disabled people. The Bill was passed with 120 amendments.
During the discussion, Communist Party of India (Marxist) chief Sitaram Yechury asked who the authority would be to interpret the definition of disability, whether physical or mental. Addressing Deputy Chairman of the House P J Kurien, Yechury said Kurien was likely to be in a bad mood, having to ensure the passage of the Bill with 120 changes.
Could that, or the mental state of people at large who can’t get cash because of the note ban, be defined as a disability, Yechury asked. This caused some mirth before Social Justice Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot clarified that a medical board would be formed to define disability. Yechury’s remarks lightened the atmosphere after days of strained proceedings in the House.