Given Finmin's situation this time, this was obvious outcome. Sent from my iPhone
> On 03-Feb-2017, at 1:14 PM, Amiyo Biswas <am...@bpa.org.in> wrote: > > At least some railway stations are being made friendly to us. We may think of > living on railway platforms. If they have wi-fi, we may keep in touch too. > > With best regards, > Amiyo Biswas > Cell: 9433464329 > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "George Abraham" <geo...@eyeway.org> > To: "'AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning > the disabled.'" <accessindia@accessindia.org.in> > Sent: Friday, February 03, 2017 11:53 AM > Subject: Re: [AI] Budget 2017: Where is the Money to Implement the > Disabilities Act? > > >> Well said the Philosopher! >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf >> Of Asudani, Rajesh >> Sent: 03 February 2017 10:11 >> To: AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning >> the disabled. >> Subject: Re: [AI] Budget 2017: Where is the Money to Implement the >> Disabilities Act? >> >> To the point analysis by Amba. >> >> A Right without remedy, they say, is a teasing illusion. >> >> A right without monetary backing, I say, is a torturing hallucination. >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf >> Of Shireen Irani >> Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2017 11:53 PM >> To: accessindia; disability-studies-india >> Subject: [AI] Budget 2017: Where is the Money to Implement the Disabilities >> Act? >> >> Despite having passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act in >> 2016, the Budget allocated only about 0.0039% of the GDP for the >> differently abled. >> The Budget this year has hardly set aside any money for the rights of >> persons with disability. The Budget this year has hardly set aside any >> money for the rights of persons with disability. >> Persons with disabilities and their families had many hopes resting on >> the Budget speech. After all, the prime minister himself had made it >> quite clear >> that he held this sector close to his heart – >> rechristening them divyang >> and even spending his birthday >> distributing aids and appliances >> to them. The Sugamya Bharat Abhiyaan (Accessible India Campaign), >> launched in 2015, >> was said to be another highlight of this commitment. And finally, >> with the passage >> of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill – which brought the >> ruling party and the opposition together ostensibly for the betterment >> of the sector >> – people with disabilities were led to believe that their lives would >> change for the better. >> >> Instead, all that the sector got were some references in opening lines >> of the Budget speech regarding the ‘poor and underprivileged’ sections >> of society >> – “Sabka saath sabka vikas (everyone together, everyone progressing). >> Despite the government’s efforts, they still left this significant >> population behind. >> >> The only mention this sector finds is in the reference to making of >> 500 railway stations ‘differently abled friendly by providing lifts >> and escalators’. >> The >> Accessible India Campaign, >> however, had already taken up this task. Accessibility is much beyond >> merely lifts and escalators – the latter not being helpful for most >> persons with >> disabilities. Specifically, targets were set to ensure that A1 and A >> and B category railway stations are converted into fully accessible >> railway stations >> by July 2016, and 50% of all railway stations ought to be converted >> into fully accessible ones by March 2018. >> >> In fact, the funding for this does not fall within the railway budget >> – the Rs 193 crores which >> were claimed >> to be ‘exclusively’ for the Accessible India Campaign is budgeted >> expenditure for 2016-17 under the existing >> Scheme for Implementation of the Persons with Disabilities Act >> (SIPDA), which is available for any entity obliged to make their >> infrastructure accessible under the Act. As pointed out in an >> analysis >> by the Equals Centre for Promotion of Social Justice, allocating this >> fund to the Accessible India Campaign is retrogressive as it limits >> the government >> efforts towards providing accessibility to infrastructure and services >> in a limited number of cities, particularly considering that 69.5% of >> the disabled >> population reside in rural areas. Also, lest we forget, without >> rolling stock that is universally designed, persons with disabilities >> aren’t going to go >> very far. There is no mention of this, nor is there any report on the >> commitment of the previous year’s railway budget promise of ‘ >> divyang friendly toilets >> ‘ at railway stations. >> >> The >> demand for grants >> by the Department for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities >> has shown a 9% increase, with most of the expenditure allotted for >> institutions old >> and new; only 41% of the expenditure will actually go into demand >> driven schemes for the welfare of persons with disabilities, even >> though the new law >> expands the number of impairments included under such schemes from >> seven to 19. The Accessible India Campaign and progress therein was >> absent from the >> Budget speech and the companion documents, while the SIPDA fund gets a >> marginal increase of 6.7%. The >> Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 >> creates a national fund for persons with disabilities that finds no >> mention in the Budget. The statute does not provide for automatic >> absorption of the >> SIPDA. The first year of this new law, which seeks to implement >> India’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with >> Disabilities, does >> not look optimistic. >> >> While the prime minister appreciated the need for personal mobility >> and assistive devices – enough to break >> Guinness World Records >> while promoting them – the Scheme for Assistance to Disabled Persons >> for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances has actually seen a >> decline in allocations, >> with a Rs 20 crore decrease from the revised estimates of the previous >> year. The Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India has seen >> no increase >> in its allocation of Rs 5 crores over the last three financial years >> despite research and development around prosthetics progressing by the >> day. >> >> The government has failed to link Budget expenditure to meaningful >> implementation of the Bill that it enacted in all earnestness, let >> alone international >> obligations. Although the estimates on the number of persons with >> disabilities in India differ – the WHO estimates >> 15% of the population >> to be disabled while the Indian census puts the figure >> at 2.1% of the population >> – a 0.0039% of specific allocation of the Budget is nothing but abysmal. >> >> Advocacy efforts must focus across ministries to ensure that their >> service delivery design is inclusive and accessible to persons with >> disabilities, as >> well as with state governments to do their bit considering disability >> is a state subject in the constitution. The finance minister’s speech >> refers to outcome >> based monitoring of expenditure by the NITI Ayog, but restricts it to >> expenditure of the scheduled castes and tribes sector. In the case of >> persons with >> disabilities, the present lack of disaggregated data collection would >> make any kind of monitoring meaningless – which is why activists harp >> upon the demand >> for collation of disaggregated data, including disability, year after year. >> >> All these efforts, therefore, may prove challenging sans government >> mandate, but influencing this mandate seems difficult given the >> failure to recognise >> the disability sector as a lobby of significance. India is shortly due >> for review of its compliance with the Committee of Rights for Persons >> with Disabilities’ >> State Obligations, which includes the allocation of maximum possible >> resources towards respecting, protecting and fulfilling rights under >> the convention. >> Perhaps civil society may consider this a valuable opportunity to >> galvanise as an empowered lobby to ensure that rights are guaranteed. >> >> Amba Salelkar is a lawyer with the Equals Centre for Promotion of >> Social Justice. The organisation focuses on policy and budget advocacy >> towards furthering >> the rights of persons with disabilities. >> >> source: >> >> https://thewire.in/105066/budget-disability-rights-bill-accessible-india/ >> >> >> Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of >> mobile phones / Tabs on: >> http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in >> >> >> Search for old postings at: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ >> >> To unsubscribe send a message to >> accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in >> with the subject unsubscribe. >> >> To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please >> visit the list home page at >> http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in >> >> >> Disclaimer: >> 1. 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AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails >> sent through this mailing list.. > > > > Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of > mobile phones / Tabs on: > http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
