Guwahati In line with the last mile development goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the North East Consultation on the status of RPWD Act 2016 was held on March 3, 2023 in Guwahati. It was aimed at understanding the status of disabled people in the NE region across the key thematic areas of education, employment, health and accessibility, specifically in the context of gender and SDGs realization.

Organised by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) and Shishu Sarothi, Centre for Rehabilitation & Training for Multiple Disability, Guwahati, the conclave deliberated on a host of issues. The key note speakers Mukesh C Sahu, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Assam, Ketaki Bardali, Executive Director, Shishu Sarothi, and Executive Director, NCPEDP, Arman Ali assessed and discussed the challenges present in the region pertaining to disabled people at length and prepared a set of recommendations to be submitted to the govt.

“We've the strongest law on paper yet the lack of awareness amongst disabled people has failed the implementation. Awareness & education is imperative if we need to change from charity to rights-based approach,” said Arman Ali, ED, NCPEDP.

The June 2022 marked five years of the landmark legislation, the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016. The RPwD Act came as a game changer. This rights-based legislation, with a strong institutional mechanism, ensures enjoyment of rights by persons with disabilities on an equal basis with non-disabled counterparts.

It provides for inclusion of the private sector within the regulatory framework, besides providing equal opportunities in employment, ensuring inclusive education, accessible healthcare services and making the physical environment – Public Transportation, Public Buildings and ICT in urban and rural areas accessible.

Disability prevalence is often disproportionately concentrated in certain disadvantaged regions and districts and among certain population groups. The northeast region has one of the highest levels of age-standardized disability prevalence in the country and people with disabilities continue to remain one of the most excluded and marginalized groups here.

It is envisaged that this regional level consultation will provide a platform to deliberate upon and develop a status quo report vis-à-vis implementation of the RPwD Act 2016 in the NE region.

The NE Conclave received the participation from NGOs from the NE states, Disability Rights Professionals, State Commissioners for Persons with Disabilities and Government Representatives and the sessions covered the topics - Challenges to inclusive education from a regional perspective vis-à-vis the NEP 2020, Access to healthcare services for persons with disabilities including their access to rehabilitation facilities, Health insurance schemes and policies, Reproductive and Sexual health Disability Certification, UDID card and associated issues and challenges, Access to information and infrastructure, Challenges to employment of people with disabilities in both public and private sector, Mainstreaming women with disabilities. /BI/