International Day of Persons with Disabilities

News:The International Day of Persons with Disabilities has been celebrated worldwide on 3rd December 2019.

Facts:

About International Day of Persons with Disabilities:

• The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly.
• The day aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities.
• The theme for 2019 is Promoting the participation of persons with disabilities and their leadership: taking action on the 2030 Development Agenda.

Additional information:

Initiatives taken by United Nations:

United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy:

• The United Nations had launched the Disability Inclusion Strategy in 2019 in line with its commitment to make the UN an inclusive organization for all.
• It provides for the foundation for sustainable and transformative progress on disability inclusion through all pillars of the work of the United Nations.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD):

• The Convention was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2006 and it came into force in 2008.
• The convention aims to ensure that disabled people enjoy the same human rights as everyone else and that they can participate fully in society by receiving the same opportunities as others.

Initiatives taken by Indian Government:

About Accessible India campaign:

• Accessible India is a nation-wide Campaign launched by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment in 2015.
• It aims to provide universal accessibility to persons with disabilities. 
• It focuses on developing an accessible physical environment, transportation system, and Information & communication ecosystem.

Right of Persons with Disabilities Act,2016:

• The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 had replaced the PwD Act,1995.
• The act has created a progressives right based framework for the welfare of differently abled persons.
• The act have increased the types of disabilities from 7 (as in PwD Act, 1995) to 21 and the Central Government has been empowered to add more types of disabilities.
• The Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities and the State Commissioners act as regulatory bodies and Grievance Redressal agencies and also monitor implementation of the Act.

Note:Article 41 of the Directive Principles of State policy(DPSP) provides that the State shall within the limits of its economic capacity and development make effective provision for securing the right to work, to educa­tion and to public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement.