Working towards a disabled-friendly India

Working towards a disabled-friendly India

Article

1. In this article Souvik Dutta and Shouvik Majumdar writes on how smart city projects must be aligned to the needs of the disabled to make it more inclusive.

Important Analysis

Key Government Initiatives

2. Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 deals with the problems faced by differently-abled persons in India.

• The Act specifically refers to ease of access to public or private buildings, workplaces, commercial activities, public utilities, medical or health services etc.

3. Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan (Accessible India campaign) was launched in 2015 with a motive to make it convenient for persons with disabilities to access administrative buildings, transport etc.

Role of Smart Cities in helping person with disability

4. Smart Cities Mission offers a great opportunity to ensure inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities.
5. The objectives of the Smart City Mission for persons with disabilities are to:

• ensure access to pathways, junctions, public transportation etc.
• Create accessible websites and government portals.
• Create accessible digital technology.
• Design accessible buildings, parks, playgrounds, schools, colleges, hospitals, recreational areas, public toilets, etc.

6. Smart cities mission can learn from the global best practices and some of the initiatives taken by start-ups within the country.

• There are location-based technologies that offer real-time support for users with disabilities in many cities. Example “Smart Cities for All Toolkit” created by Microsoft.
• Sydney is rolling out one of the world’s most comprehensive network of Braille and tactile signs to help visually impaired pedestrians.
• Community APP such as SeenAb which collects data regarding real time issue faced by the disabled can be used by the governments while formulating policies.
• CSR funding can be used to invest in projects that support the cause for disability under Smart City Mission.

7. Challenge

• There is a lack of study in India to identify the problems with disabled at the micro level.
• Accessible India initiative in the Smart City projects may not achieve the desired objectives if there is no proper study.
• There is also a risk of mis-allocation as well as mis-utilisation of funds due to it.
• Bidding for the Smart City requires companies to have certain scale which may make it impossible for small scale innovators working in the field of disability.
• Startups cannot scale up unless there is government support in the initial phase of development.

8. Way Forward

• To make Smart City Mission successful the project must be aligned to the needs of its disabled residents and hence the government must engage and initiate projects which are directly beneficial to the aged and disabled population.
• The Smart City initiatives must be aligned with the Startup India initiative to encourage innovations.