The Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department today urged the Odisha government to implement provisions under Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 for welfare of above 12.5 lakh people in the state.
RPwD Act-2016 recognises 21 categories of disabilities instead of 7 in earlier Act, said SSEPD secretary Nitin Chandra at the first ever meeting of Inter Agency Working Group (IAWG) formed for the purpose.
He said the Act envisages reservation in employment which is proposed to be increased from present three per cent to four per cent, provision for imprisonment and fine for violence, atrocities and denial of rights to PwDs.
The new Act also gives importance to education, health care, skill development, protection from exploitation, accessibility, employment, protection of equal rights, grievance redressal and human resources development, Chandra said while requesting all government departments to implement provisions of RPwD Act, 2016 in right earnest.
Satoko Yano, Chief of Education, UNESCO said on the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities(UNPRPD) Project, progress report and five research studies have been done.
Shigeru Aoyagi, Director of UNESCO, New Delhi informed that 15 per cent of world's population has some form of disability.
There are at least 12,44,402 PwDs in Odisha as per 2011 census. Children with Disabilities (CwDs) constitute 6.52 per cent of the State's Disabled Population, he said.
The primary objective of Inter Agency Working Group is to augment cooperation and partnership in Odisha to promote the Rights of CwDs (children with disabilities) to quality education through effective implementation of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, Rights to Education Act, 2009 through developmental efforts, policy making and technical support.
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