Context-Recently the deadline for the government’s Accessible India Campaign (AIC) has been extended to March 2020 due to slow progress.

Rights of Persons with Disabilities

• For Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) universal accessibility is critical for enabling them to gain access for equal opportunity and live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life in an inclusive society.

Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995

• Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 under Sections 44, 45 and 46 categorically provides for non-discrimination in transport, non-discrimination on the road and non-discrimination in built environment respectively.

As per Section 46 of the PwD Act, the States are required to provide for –

1. Ramps in  public buildings;
2. Adaptation of toilets for wheel chair users;
3. Braille symbols and auditory signals in elevators or lifts;
4. Ramps in hospitals, primary health centres and other medical care and rehabilitation institutions

• Section 44 and 45 of the said Act cast responsibility on the States to take measures to make public transport accessible for PwDs and also make provision for auditory signals at red lights in public roads, curb cuts and slops in pavements, engraving on the surface at zebra crossings etc.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)

• United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), to which India is a signatory, under Article 9 casts an obligation on all the signatory governments to take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications, including information and communications technologies and systems, and to other facilities and services open or provided to the public, both in urban and in rural areas. 

Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for PwDs in Asia and Pacific

• Governments at the High Level Inter Governmental Meeting organized by the Govt. of Republic of Korea adopted the ministerial declaration and Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for PwDs in Asia and Pacific.  The Incheon Strategy provides the Asian and Pacific Region, and the world the first set of regionally agreed distinct – inclusive development goals.
• The Strategy comprises 10 goals, 27 targets and 62 indicators, which build on UNCRPD.  Goal No. 3 of the Incheon Strategy mentions that access to the physical environment, public transportation, knowledge, information and communication is a precondition for persons with disabilities to fulfill their rights in an inclusive societ

Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan)

• The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has conceptualised the “Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan)” as a nation-wide flagship campaign for achieving universal accessibility that will enable persons with disabilities to gain access for equal opportunity and live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life in an inclusive society.

Components of Accessible India Campaign

Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) has the following three important components

1. Built Environment Accessibility
2. Transportation System Accessibility
3. Information and Communication Eco-System Accessibility

Strategies to be followed

• A multi-pronged strategy will be adopted for the campaign with key components as (a) leadership endorsements of the campaign, (b) mass awareness, (c) capacity building through workshops, (d) interventions (legal frame-work, technology solutions, resource generation, etc. and (e) leverage corporate sector efforts in a Public-Private Partnership.

Proposed milestones

Under the campaign,

• Atleast 50% of all the government buildings of National Capital and all the State capitals will be made fully accessible for persons with disabilities by July 2018.
• Conducting audit of 50% of government buildings and converting them into fully accessible buildings in 10 most important cities / towns of all the States (July 2019).
• All the international airports in the country and railway stations of A1, A & B categories will be made fully accessible by July 2016.
• Conducting accessibility audit of all the domestic airports and converting them into fully accessible airports(March 2018).
• Ensuring that 50% of railway stations in the country are converted into fully accessible railway stations (March 2018).
• Ensuring that 25% of Government owned public transport carriers in the country are converted into fully accessible carriers (March 2018).
• Conducting accessibility audit of 50% of all government (both Central and State Governments) websites and converting them into fully accessible websites (March 2017).
• Ensuring that at least 50% of all public documents issued by the Central Government and the State Governments meet accessibility standards (March 2018).
• Developing and adoption of national standards on captioning and sign-language interpretation in consultation with National media authorities. (July 2016)
• Ensuring that 25% of all public television programmes aired by government channels meet these standards.(March 2018)