Volume 7 Issue 10

Feature

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  Instituted by N.C.P.E.D.P., the awards will be given away on August 14, on the eve of our Independence Day
  ‘The N.C.P.E.D.P. - MphasiS Universal Design Awards’
  

  National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (N.C.P.E.D.P.) in association with AccessAbility and BarrierBreak Technologies and with support from MphasiS, an H.P. Company has instituted the ‘The N.C.P.E.D.P.-MphasiS Universal Design Awards’. Currently, nominations for the awards are being invited. This is an annual award and will be given away on August 14, the eve of our Independence Day. Access symbolizes the true spirit of freedom as far as persons with disabilities are concerned.

Interview

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  Mehul Choksi, Chairman & Managing Director, Gitanjali Gems Ltd.
  “Awareness that disabled persons are not handicapped, and can perform just as well as anyone else has to grow in society,” Mehul Choksi
  

  The lack of sensitivity on the part of the private sector towards disability has been a matter of serious concern for the Indian disability sector. However, there are some good examples too. Atleast a few corporates have made a conscious attempt to become equal opportunity employers. Gitanjali Gems Ltd., a diamond and jewellery house is one such example. They were in the news recently for having set up a training centre in Hyderabad that would generate as many as 1000 jobs for people with disabilities. In an interview with Allister Mark Syiemlieh of D.N.I.S., Chairman and Managing Director, Gitanjali Gems Ltd., Mehul Choksi, talks about the newly inaugurated training centre, inclusive employment and much more…

News

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  National Consultation in New Delhi, organised by N.C.P.E.D.P. on October 29 last year
  M.S.J.E. finally concedes to D.R.G.’s demand for a new law!
  

  D.N.I.S. News Network, India: It took eight months of perseverant advocacy, but finally the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (M.S.J.E.) has conceded to the demand for a brand new law on disability. M.S.J.E. has formed a Committee to draft the new law which will “replace” the Disability Act of 1995. Dr. (Mrs.) Sudha Kaul, Vice Chairperson, Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy, Kolkata has been asked to spearhead this Committee.

• Committee to draft New Disability Act: M.S.J.E. stumbles, yet again
  

  D.N.I.S. News Network, India: Just when it looked like the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (M.S.J.E.) was finally making the right moves, it stumbled yet again. On one hand, it formed a Committee to draft a new Disability Act in line with U.N.C.R.P.D. On the other hand, it violated the basic tenet of the Convention – that of letting disabled people take their own decisions. The 27 member Committee includes ONLY 3 people with disabilities. This, for once, has left the entire Indian disability sector disappointed and anxious.

• First meeting of Committee on New Disability Act on June 10
  

  D.N.I.S. News Network, India: The newly formed Committee to draft a new law to replace the Disability Act of 1995 will have its first meeting on June 10. According to Dr. (Mrs.) Sudha Kaul, Chairperson of the Committee, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (M.S.J.E.) has handed over all the recommendations received from the disability sector, as well as from State Governments and Central Ministries, to the Committee. The draft chapters of the new law as envisaged by Disabled Rights Group (D.R.G.) have also been given to them for consideration.

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  Javed Abidi and Census Commissioner, Dr. C. Chandramouli at the Round Table on Disability and Census 2011
  Census 2011: Guidelines for Enumerators on the question on disability
  

  D.N.I.S. News Network, India: After submitting the recommended question on disability to the Census Commission, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (N.C.P.E.D.P.) has now finished work on the proposed guidelines for enumerators on the question on disability that will go into the Instruction Manual for Census 2011 Enumerators.

• Incentive scheme for private sector falls flat, second year in a row!
  

  D.N.I.S. News Network, India: The ‘Scheme of Incentives to Employers in the Private Sector for providing Employment to Persons with Disabilities’ launched with much fanfare in 2008 has till now been able to benefit only 465 people. This scheme was touted to be able to create 100,000 jobs annually for people with disabilities!

• New Access Guidelines likely to be adopted as standards by B.I.S.
  

  D.N.I.S. News Network, India: October 14 is World Standards Day and this year the theme is ‘Accessibility’. Keeping this in mind, the Bureau of Indian Standards (B.I.S.) is planning to “adopt” the new access guidelines being drafted by the Ministry of Urban Development.

• I.L.O. to develop Global Business and Disability Network
  

  D.N.I.S. News Network, India: Geneva based, Debra Perry, of the International Labour Organization (I.L.O.) visited National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (N.C.P.E.D.P.) on May 12.

• 30 disabled students clear U.P.S.C. exam
  

  D.N.I.S. News Network, India: There is a silent revolution that is taking place in India. The number of disabled Civil Servants in the country is slowly but surely going up.

• Bombay High Court overrides Maharashtra rules, grants permission to blind student to write entrance exam
  

  D.N.I.S. News Network, India: If you are blind or visually impaired then there is no use in aspiring for a course in physiotherapy, atleast in Maharashtra! The rules forbid you from writing the entrance test. But, in a rather surprising exception, a seventeen year old blind student found the favour of the Bombay High Court and was recently granted permission to take the entrance test for the said course.

• All historical monuments in the country to be made disabled friendly
  

  D.N.I.S. News Network, India: Accessible tourism is the new buzzword of the Tourism Ministry! If its plans are truly implemented, then the Archaeological Survey of India (A.S.I.) will soon find itself busy making all the historical monuments in the country disabled friendly.