New Delhi, Dec 5: The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill is expected to be put before the Union Cabinet for its consideration “in a day or two”, a senior government official said.
The secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Lov Verma, also said the word ‘handicapped’ used in national institutes would be replaced with ‘impairment’ as a mark of “changing attitude” towards persons with disabilities (PwDs).
Verma’s statement came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested the word “viklang” (disabled) used for describing PwDs should make way for “divyang” (divine body).
“We are bringing the new act, it should come before cabinet in a day or two,” Verma said at a conference on disability here.
The new Bill seeks to replace the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.
It was introduced in Rajya Sabha in 2014 by the then UPA government and moved to the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment under which the department works.
The official further said the government has set itself a target of training 1 lakh PwDs during this year under the National Action Plan for Skill Training, which was launched in March 21, 2015.
