NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill 2016, on December 16, 2016, and it became an Act – the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act 2016). Even though a year has elapsed after this, many states have not framed rules under this Act and notified them. It is to the credit of the Government of Delhi that it has framed and notified rules under the Act, joining a handful of states that have done this.

States framing rules under RPwD Act 2016 and notifying them are important because disability is a state subject, and it is the responsibility of states to promote the welfare of persons with disabilities through taking appropriate measures for protecting and promoting their rights and ensuring their social participation.

“The Delhi government constituted a separate committee to discuss all the stakeholder suggestions it received on its draft rules. Because of the involvement of disability experts, Delhi state rules are progressive and more accountable, and in some ways even better than central rules,” says Dr Satendra Singh, who was a member of the advisory committee set up by the government to look into the process of drafting laws.

It is worth mentioning here that The Leprosy Mission Trust India (TLMTI), as a stakeholder, suggested measures for promoting the welfare of people affected by leprosy (leprosy is one of the 21 disabilities mentioned in the RPwD Act 2016) after the government called for suggestions on its draft rules.

As the rules have now been notified, people affected by leprosy in Delhi, along with people with other disabilities, can get all benefits prescribed by the Act. Some of them are:

• They can avail of concessions and benefits in education, health services, loans, jobs and other schemes offered by the state government.
• Establishments can no longer discriminate them because of having or having had leprosy.
• They can obtain disability certificate under the simplified procedure.

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