| Concerns over Amended Rules: Amendments add unnecessary hurdles, hindering access to essential services and entitlements for persons with disabilities. New rules indirectly assume individuals with disabilities are responsible for certificate misuse, pointing out that fake certificates represent a small fraction of total issuances. Flaws exist in other documentation systems also increased restrictions are a flawed response. |
- Following the recent amendments to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) criticised the new rules, calling them “regressive” and urging their withdrawal.
- The amendments aim to tighten norms for obtaining a disability certificate.
- Disability certificate applicants must now provide proof of identity.
- Only medical authorities are authorised to process applications, extending the processing time from one to three months.
- Rule 18 allows an application to lapse or become “inactive” if pending for over two years, requiring the applicant to reapply or reactivate.
Dig Deeper: Read about Barrier Free Environment under the Scheme for Implementation of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (SIPDA)
