Executive Summary:
This document presents the Indian government's response to questions regarding the implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016. It details the funds allocated, released, and utilized under central schemes for persons with disabilities over the last five years (2020-2025). Additionally, it provides information on the constitution of State Advisory Boards, Special Courts, and appointment of Special Public Prosecutors, as well as the status of government employment for persons with benchmark disabilities. The last meeting of the Central Advisory Board was held on December 15, 2024.
Key Points / Main Content:
* **Funding and Schemes:**
* The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities implements Central Sector Schemes.
* Annexure I provides details of funds allocated, released, and utilized under various central schemes for persons with disabilities from 2020-2021 to 2024-2025, including:
* Scheme of Assistance to Persons with Disabilities for Purchase/Fitting of Aids/Appliances.
* Deendayal Divyangjan Rehabilitation Scheme.
* Scholarship Scheme for Students with Disabilities.
* Scheme for Implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
* **Implementation of RPWD Act, 2016:**
* Annexure II provides State/UT-wise details on the constitution of State Advisory Boards, Special Courts, and appointment of Special Public Prosecutors under the RPWD Act, 2016.
* Most states and UTs have constituted State Advisory Boards, set up Special Courts, and appointed Special Public Prosecutors, except West Bengal and Ladakh for certain provisions.
* Seven meetings of the Central Advisory Board have been held, with the 7th and most recent one on December 15, 2024.
* **Employment of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities:**
* Section 34 of the RPWD Act, 2016 mandates at least 4% reservation in government employment for persons with benchmark disabilities.
* Reservation in promotion shall be in accordance with instructions issued by the appropriate Government.
* Occurrence and filling of vacancies, along with backlog reserve vacancies, is a continuous process.
* The Department of Personnel Training (DOPT) has issued instructions to all Ministries/Departments of the Central Government to constitute an In-House Committee to identify backlog reserved vacancies and fill them through special recruitment drives.
* **International Reporting:**
* India is a party to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) since October 2007.
* India submitted its First Country Report on the Status of Disability in India to the UN Committee on CRPD in 2015.
* The UN Committee considered the first Country Report of India in September 2019.
Impact Analysis:
* **Persons with Disabilities:**
* Impact: Benefit from central schemes, reservation in government employment, and improved implementation of the RPWD Act, 2016, including access to justice through special courts.
* Action Required: Utilize available schemes and opportunities, and be aware of rights and provisions under the RPWD Act, 2016.
* **State Governments/UTs:**
* Impact: Responsible for constituting State Advisory Boards, setting up Special Courts, and appointing Special Public Prosecutors.
* Action Required: Ensure full compliance with the RPWD Act, 2016, and implement schemes and provisions effectively. West Bengal needs to complete the process of constituting the State Advisory Board, setting up Special Courts, and appointing Special Public Prosecutors. Ladakh needs to constitute a State Advisory Board.
* **Central Government Ministries/Departments:**
* Impact: Required to implement reservation policies for persons with benchmark disabilities in government employment.
* Action Required: Constitute In-House Committees to identify and fill backlog reserved vacancies through special recruitment drives, as per DOPT instructions.
Key Entities Referenced
Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities: The department implementing Central Sector Schemes for persons with disabilities.
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016: A legislation mandating the constitution of State Advisory Boards and Special Courts, and the appointment of Special Public Prosecutors for persons with disabilities.
Central Advisory Board: A board established to advise on matters related to the rights of persons with disabilities; seven meetings have been held as of the document's creation.
UNCRPD Committee: The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to which India submitted a report on the status of disability in India.
United National Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities: An international human rights treaty.
Andhra Pradesh: A state in India that has constituted State Advisory Boards, set up Special Courts, and appointed Special Public Prosecutors.
Deendayal Divyangjan Rehabilitation Scheme: A rehabilitation scheme for persons with disabilities.
Department of Personnel Training: A department that issued instructions to Ministries and Departments of the Central Government to constitute an In-House Committee for identification of backlog reserved vacancies.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
DEPARTMENT OF EMPOWERMENT OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 4195
TO BE ANSWERED ON- 19/08/2025
Implementation Status of the RPWD Act
4195. Dr. Byreddy Shabari
Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:
(a) the details of funds requested, allocated, released and utilised under various Central schemes
for persons with disabilities during the last five years, scheme and intervention, year and
State-wise;
(b) the number of State Advisory Boards, Special Courts that have constituted and appointed
Special Public Prosecutors as mandated by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016,
along with the number of meetings convened by the Central Advisory Board since its
establishment, and their operational status, State and UT-wise;
(c) the number of persons with benchmark disabilities employed and promoted in Government
establishments in posts reserved for them since the enactment of the RPWD Act, 2016; and
(d) whether the Ministry has submitted a report to the UNCRPD Committee in recent years, if
not, the reasons therefor?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE & EMPOWERMENT
(SHRI B. L. VERMA)
(a) The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities is implementing only Central
Sector Schemes and the details of funds allocated, released, and utilised under various Cen-
tral schemes for persons with disabilities during the last five years is enclosed at
Annexure-I.
(b) The details of States/UTs who constituted State Advisory Boards, set up Special Courts and
appointed Special Public Prosecutors under the RPwD Act, 2016 are at Annexure -II. Seven
meetings of the Central Advisory Board have been held so far; the last (7th) meeting was
held on 15.12.2024 in New Delhi.
(c) As per Section 34 of the RPwD Act 2016, there is provision of atleast 4% reservation in
government employment against total number of vacancies in cadre strength in each groupof posts for specified categories of benchmark disabilities. Further, as per the proviso to the
section, the reservation in promotion shall be in accordance with such instructions as are
issued by the appropriate Government from time to time. Occurrence and filling of
vacancies, alongwith backlog reserve vacancies, is a continuous process. Instructions have
been issued by Department of Personnel & Training (DOPT) to all Ministries/ Department
of the Central Government to constitute an In-House Committee for identifications of
backlog reserved vacancies, to study the root cause of such vacancies, to initiate measures to
remove the factors causing such vacancies and to fill them up through special recruitment
drives.
(d) India is a party to the United National Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(UNCRPD) since October 2007. In pursuance of Article 35 of the UNCRPD, India submit-
ted the First Country Report on the Status of Disability in India before the UN Committee
on CRPD in 2015. The UN Committee considered the first Country Report of India in Sep-
tember, 2019.
*****Annexure-I
Budget Estimates(BE), Revised Estimates (RE) and Actual Expenditure (AE) under the schemes for the last five years
(Rs. in crores)
2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25
Schemes BE RE AE BE RE AE BE RE AE BE RE AE BE RE AE
1 Scheme of 230.0 195.0 189.1 220.0 180.0 198.7 235.0 230.0 242.2 245.0 305.0 290.6 315.0 350.0 348.8
Assistance to 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 1
Persons with
Disabilities
for Purchase/
Fitting of
Aids
/Appliances
2 Deendayal 130.0 85.00 83.18 125.0 105.0 100.9 125.0 105.0 114.6 130.0 130.0 129.9 165.0 139.0 139.3
Divyangjan 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 8 0 0 9
Rehabilitatio
n Scheme
3 Scholarship 125.0 100.0 97.40 125.0 110.0 120.3 105.0 145.0 142.0 155.0 155.0 130.0 142.6 80.00 89.71
for Students 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 7 8
with
Disabilities
4 Scheme for 251.5 122.8 103.4 209.7 147.3 108.4 240.3 100.0 65.59 150.0 67.00 76.79 135.3 111.0 44.16
Implementati 0 9 3 7 1 4 9 0 0 3 0
on of the
Rights of
Persons with
Disabilities
Act 2016Annexure -II
Details of State Advisory Boards, Special Courts and Special Public Prosecutors
S. No. State State Advisory Special Courts Special Public
Boards Prosecutors
1. Andhra Pradesh Yes Yes Yes
2. Arunachal Yes Yes Yes
Pradesh
3. Assam Yes YesYes
4. Bihar Yes Yes Yes
5. Chhattisgarh Yes Yes Yes
6. Goa Yes Yes Yes
7. Gujarat Yes Yes Yes
8. Haryana Yes Yes Yes
9. Himachal Yes Yes Yes
Pradesh
10. Jharkhand Yes Yes Yes
11. Karnataka Yes Yes Yes
12. Kerala Yes Yes Yes
13 Madhya Pradesh Yes Yes Yes
14. Maharashtra Yes Yes Yes
15. Manipur Yes Yes Yes
16. Meghalaya Yes Yes Yes
17. Mizoram Yes Yes Yes
18. Nagaland Yes Yes Yes
19. Odisha Yes Yes Yes
20. Punjab Yes Yes Yes
21. Rajasthan Yes Yes Yes
22. Sikkim Yes Yes Yes
23. Tamil Nadu Yes Yes Yes
24. Telangana Yes Yes Yes
25. Tripura Yes Yes Yes
26. Uttarakhand Yes Yes Yes
27. Uttar Pradesh Yes Yes Yes
28. West Bengal Yes Under Process Under Process
29. Andaman & Yes Yes Yes
Nicobar Islands
30. Chandigarh Yes Yes Yes
31. Dadar& Nagar Yes Yes Yes
Haveli and
Daman & Die
32. Delhi Yes Yes Yes
33. Jammu Kashmir Yes Yes Yes
34. Ladakh Under Process Yes Yes
35. Lakshadweep Yes Yes Yes
36. Puducherry Yes Yes Yes
*****