New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday described the upcoming Census 2027, the first after the enactment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, as a historic national opportunity to recognise all 21 categories of disabilities through trained enumeration and significantly improved data collection.
Speaking at the launch of India’s first-ever handbook on disability for parliamentarians titled ‘Beyond the Visible: A Handbook on Disability Inclusion for Parliamentarians,’ prepared by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), the minister said accurate and disaggregated data would enable the government to design more targeted and effective interventions for persons with disabilities across the country.
The event, which also featured a high-level panel discussion on inclusive health coverage and political participation, was attended by Chief Guest Athawale and several distinguished guests of honour, including ET Mohammed Basheer, MP and member of the Central Advisory Board on Disability; Eatala Rajender, MP, Lok Sabha; Fauzia Khan, MP, Rajya Sabha; Guru Prakash Paswan, national spokesperson, BJP; Neha Joshi, vice president, BJYM; and Anish Gawande, national spokesperson, NCP (SP).
Arman Ali, who hails from Assam and is currently the Executive Director of NCPEDP, said, “The handbook is a commitment to ensuring that parliamentarians become active partners in breaking every barrier faced by persons with disabilities. This book will help translate the RPwD Act into real legislative action and make inclusion a lived reality in Indian democracy.”
Athawale congratulated Ali, the NCPEDP team, the National Disability Network, and Bajaj Finserv CSR for this timely and practical contribution, stating that the handbook would serve as a valuable guide for parliamentarians to strengthen inclusive policymaking across the country. He highlighted the steps taken by the Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, he said, was a landmark reform that expanded recognition to 21 disabilities, shifted from a welfare-based to a rights-based approach, and aligned India with the UNCRPD. For the first time, the law explicitly recognised political barriers as a major obstacle for persons with disabilities.
The minister pointed to several flagship initiatives of the government, including the Accessible India Campaign, the Unique Disability ID (UDID) portal, skill development programmes under PM-DAKSH, and focused efforts under Ayushman Bharat, which are steadily mainstreaming persons with disabilities in the national development journey.
Ali expressed concern over the current state of health coverage, noting that a recent NCPEDP survey revealed that over 80% of persons with disabilities lack any health insurance, mainly due to high premiums, exclusion of disability-related treatments, and denial of coverage. “Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of inclusive healthcare, schemes like Ayushman Bharat must explicitly cover persons with disabilities and provide comprehensive, lifelong support, including assistive devices, rehabilitation, and disability-specific care. The government is committed to removing these barriers so that no person with a disability faces catastrophic out-of-pocket expenses,” he added.
Athawale added that the launch of the handbook and the roundtable discussion would further mainstream the discourse on disability rights and inclusive policymaking in Parliament and public life, making the event an important milestone in India’s journey towards an inclusive and Viksit Bharat.
Reaffirming the government’s vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas,” the minister assured that every initiative would continue to ensure that no citizen is left behind.
Jebi Mather, MP, Rajya Sabha, said, “This handbook will go a long way in sensitising us to the language we use for persons with disabilities, as well as how to raise questions during Zero Hour.”