Hi all, Since I (disappointingly) didn't hear from any of the disability representatives in the 12th plan groups, I decided to follow things up over phone from Chennai.
While I definitely expected SOME response / action from disability activists (who had been demanding 100% transparency in recent law-making processes), I had no such illusions on hearing from the Government via email...In my experience the Addl. Secy of MOHFW seems to be the only Government official who actually responds to email and takes action wherever possible. I have contacted Mr. Chanana who heads the NIC department within the Planning Commission and hope to have some results in a week. (Please see conversation at end of message.) Baby steps progress that will yield small *(but meaningful)* victories hopefully. For all we shriek about *Participation* we seem to forget *Planning* and *P rocess*. It takes all 3 Ps if we are to Produce results! I enclose an extract from NCPRI so that we in the disability sector can learn from recent experiences in law-making and live up to an otherwise empty slogan of "Nothing about us without us." Vaishnavi Campaign for Transparency in the Pre Legislative Process<http://righttoinformation.info/campaign-for-transparency-in-the-pre-legislative-process/> *Press Release* *NCPRI & IM4C Consultation on Pre-Legislative Processes and Amendment to > RTI Rules* 22 December 2010: The National Campaign for Peoples Right to Information (NCPRI), in collaboration with Inclusive Media for Change and others, organized a meeting on the pre-legislative consultation process. Members of civil society organizations——CHRI, PRS, JOSH, ADR, FMP, SNS, CPR, Pardarshita, Sangat, Hazards Centre, NFIW, Greenpeace and others participated in the discussion. Former CIC Wajahat Habibullah, retired chief justice A P Shah of the Delhi High Court and social activists——Aruna Roy, Shekhar Singh, Dunu Roy, Annie Raja, Nikhil Dey, Kamla Bhasin, Maja Daruwala, Venkatesh Nayak, Lokesh Batra participated in the consultation. Members from the media also participated in the discussion. > Pre-Legislative Consultation Process There was a general agreement that the absence of any secure and robust mechanisms of pre-legislative consultation is one of the weaker links of our political and policy process that requires to be redressed. Therefore there was an appreciation of the present initiative and a mandate to take it forward. There was a general appreciation of the suggestions made in the approach paper (attached). Besides, the following additional suggestions came up: 1. Need to link existing institutions like the NHRC, NMC, SC Commission, NWC etc. with the proposed consultative process so as to avoid duplication 2. We should focus not just on disclosures and opening for giving inputs, but also on mandatory deliberations that ensure that these inputs get due attention. 3. Need to pay equal attention to subsidiary legislation and the rule framing at the level of the states, for that is where much of the tinkering takes place. 4. Certain kinds of legislations should be referred to the local bodies set up under the 73rd and 74th amendments. It was further suggested: • There should be a provision for referendum for a certain types of legislation keeping in mind the social realities that define the day-to-day lives of a diverse population like that of India. • Interests of various sections of society affected by laws and lawmaking procedures should be kept in mind while making these legislations. • All such legislations need to be supplemented by some changes in the existing legislative process, like sharing more information with the MPs, adding research capacity of the MPs and MLAs, expanded time period and improved mechanism for receiving public feedback, reducing the tendency to bypass committees and ending procedural adhocism. There was a brief discussion about how to give effect to these proposals for strengthening pre-legislative consultations and there were three broad suggestions that emerge: 1. Improving existing rules and procedures such as Parliamentary Rules of Business, greater recourse to ‘Notes on Clauses’, amendments in circular from Cabinet Secretariat etc. 2. Strengthening of the RTI Act 2005. 3. Perhaps even consider drafting a separate law that brings together all such provisions. The broad consensus was strongly in favour of a robust, open and inclusive pre-legislative consultation process. These discussions will be taken forward in forums and meetings to be convened over the next few months. It was agreed that multiple methods would be used to open up the process like demanding rigorous implementation of mandatory provisions of the RTI Act, i.e., Section 4 and seeking changes to DoPT/PMO circulars to allow for consultations on proposed legislations along the lines of the existing inter-ministerial consultations. > http://righttoinformation.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/A_Comparative_Survey_of_Public_Participation_in_the_Legislative_Process.pdf ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Chanana AK <chanana...@nic.in> Date: 23 August 2011 08:13 Subject: Re: TPA for website accessibility design 12thplan.gov.in To: jayakumar.vaishn...@gmail.com ** As it has been designed and developed by NIC, we will look into it and will do the needful. These agencies will not do free of cost and for that approval and justification is required. We will do it internally in-house. Regards Chanana A.K. ----- Original Message ----- *From:* Vaishnavi Jayakumar <vaishnavi.jayaku...@inclusiveindia.info> *To:* chanana...@nic.in *Cc:* ne...@nic.in *Sent:* Monday, August 22, 2011 4:56 PM *Subject:* TPA for website accessibility design 12thplan.gov.in Dear Mr. Chanana, As NIC/NICSI empanelled agencies were given the go-ahead by MoIT for website design as per GIGW <http://web.guidelines.gov.in/> , perhaps outsourcing to a TPA vendor may speed things up. Hoping to see a website soon that 2 crore disabled Indians can access and participate in! Please find below some Delhi-based approved agencies as of 2010. Warm regards, Vaishnavi Jayakumar *P.S. Shilpi Kapoor of STQC-certified Barrier Break Techologies<http://www.barrierbreak.com/servicesdet.php?j=Web%20Development&Cat_ID=10&id=011> is familiar with the needs of India's disability sector and routinely churns out WCAG compliant website solutions. She may be the quickest given the specific needs of India's disabled citizens wrt 12thplan.gov.in* *List of empanelled agencies with NICSI for the development of websites/web * *applications:* 1. M/s Net Creative Mind Solutions Pvt. Ltd. 133, G.F. Katwaria Sarai; New Delhi [110016]. Phone: 011- 41689181, 82, 83 2. M/s Akiko Sherman Infotech 16, New Rohtak Road, Karol Bagh; Near Tibbia Collage, New Delhi [110005]. Phone: 011-23619929, 23684079 5. M/s UBICS Enterprises Solutions Pvt. Ltd. 30 Hauz Khas Villgae; 2nd Floor, Power House Building; New Delhi[110016]. Phone: 011-32414667 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Vaishnavi Jayakumar <vaishnavi.jayaku...@inclusiveindia.info> Date: 22 August 2011 14:01 Subject: For your attention & immediate action Fwd: Accessibility of 12thplan.gov.in To: chanana...@nic.in I have received no response so far. Nor action. Kindly expedite ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Vaishnavi Jayakumar <vaishnavi.jayaku...@inclusiveindia.info> Date: 9 August 2011 14:53 Subject: Accessibility of 12thplan.gov.in To: approach-p...@nic.in, plan...@nic.in *Dr. Y. Prabhanjan Kumar Yadav* Asstt. Information Officer Communication & Information Division Room No. GF-6B, Yojana Bhavan Sansad Marg, New Delhi -110 001. E-mail: plan...@nic.in Dear Mr. Yadav, I just wanted to bring to your notice that the 12th plan website<http://12thplan.gov.in/>, is a laudable and pioneering effort with its first ever State social network presence. Congratulations on the same! One area where it could be improved would be that of accessibility for people with disabilities. 2 crore Indian citizens would otherwise be denied a unique opportunity to contribute to this effort of nation building. Please find below a summary analysis by India's foremost accessibility expert. As the parent site is accessible, I am sure this website can meet with compliance norms easily. I look forward to your intervention in rectifying this at the earliest. Warm regards, Vaishnavi Jayakumar +91 9003088388 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: 8 August 2011 14:38 Subject: Re: Access-test for these 2 websites To: Vaishnavi Jayakumar <jayakumar.vaishn...@gmail.com> Hi Vaishnavi, Unfortunately, both these websites do not comply with Web Guidelines for Indian Government Websites (http://web.guidelines.gov.in) 12th Plan do not have associated labels for form fields, no text alternatives for images, no heading and navigation structure, no site map, no government identity, no policies, no information about external links andotherdocuments.No accessibility options are provided. While MH Policy is developed on Word press, it do not meet several requirements of Web Guidelines for Indian Government Websites like it do not have website policies in place, no government identity. It's also not hosted on government server. Let me know, if they need detailed analysis. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Vaishnavi Jayakumar <jayakumar.vaishn...@gmail.com> Date: 12 August 2011 14:07 Subject: Access Denied - 12thplan.gov.in To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in [image: make-folder-inaccessible-logo.jpg] 2 crore citizens with disabilities are being denied the opportunity to participate in the ultimate nation - building exercise : the 12th five year plan *Dear civil society members of the working groups / steering committees for the 12th plan,* This has been communicated to the planning commission twice. Informally to some of you at least once. And yet there's been no change. This may be a very small and insignificant detail in the larger scheme of things, but if other citizens are being given an opportunity to voice their needs and aspirations WHY ARE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES BEING LEFT OUT? Yet again? *When are you going to rectify this, so that (at least in cyberspace) every opinion can be voiced (and hopefully acknowledged) in the true spirit of Indian democracy?* ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Vaishnavi Jayakumar <vaishnavi.jayaku...@inclusiveindia.info> Subject: Accessibility of 12thplan.gov.in To: approach-p...@nic.in, plan...@nic.in *Dr. Y. Prabhanjan Kumar Yadav* Asstt. Information Officer Communication & Information Division Room No. GF-6B, Yojana Bhavan Sansad Marg, New Delhi -110 001. E-mail: plan...@nic.in Dear Mr. Yadav, I just wanted to bring to your notice that the 12th plan website<http://12thplan.gov.in>, is a laudable and pioneering effort with its first ever State social network presence. Congratulations on the same! One area where it could be improved would be that of accessibility for people with disabilities. 2 crore Indian citizens would otherwise be denied a unique opportunity to contribute to this effort of nation building. Please find below a summary analysis by the country's leading accessibility expert. As the parent site is accessible, I am sure this website can meet with compliance norms easily. I look forward to your intervention in rectifying this at the earliest. Warm regards, Vaishnavi Jayakumar +91 9003088388 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Subject: Re: Access-test To: Vaishnavi Jayakumar <jayakumar.vaishn...@gmail.com> 12th Plan does not have associated labels for form fields, no text alternatives for images, no heading and navigation structure, no site map, no government identity, no policies, no information about external links andotherdocuments.No accessibility options are provided.does not comply with Web Guidelines for Indian Government Websites (http://web.guidelines.gov.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. 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