September 7, 2019
Over two years after the RPWD Act came into force, the Goa government
has finally issued rules under it. Something the disabled community here has
been demanding for a while now.
Relief for the over 30,000 people with disabilities in Goa with the state
government finally framing rules under the RPWD Act 2016. This will be called
the Goa Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2018..
The Act is vital to ensure the protection of disabled people against
inequality and discrimination. The delay in notification has meant that
critical schemes and facilities meant for the community are yet to reach
them.
Avelino D Sa, a well-known activist in the state who heads
the Disability Rights Association of Goa (DRAG) welcomed the
announcement. “We all are happy that finally the rules have been finally
notified after a period of two years. We are now hoping that special courts,
public prosecutors and disability commissioner will be appointed very soon.”
Another DRAG member Vishant Nagvekar hopes this will lead to
a change for the better. “It is a good sign that things will now improve in
Goa. I hope that the pending work for the disabled community will now be
completed. There is a lot of work that needs to be done such as appointment
of deputy commissioner and other officials. ”
The RPWD Act states that accessibility is a right for disabled people,
whether it is in schools, homes, public places, offices, roads etc. The
notification, hope activists, will lead to accessibility getting a push.
More than 20 states have already passed the Act and started the work. From
being one of the most accessibility-oriented states, Goa moved to the
bottom list by issuing the guidelines after such a long time. Not only that
several offices and posts are still vacant and work at the social welfare
department is also very slow. The department of social welfare now has a
lot to cover up and make up for the time lost. iDare has been pushing the
authorities to work towards creating awareness about disability rights.
There are laws that need to be strictly implemented to achieve
accessibility. New buildings need to be designed with accessibility as a
consideration and older ones need to be altered. The lost time can only be
compensated if the government commits itself and works round the clock to
ensure a speedy and effective implantation of the Act. –Monika S
Kshatriya iDare, Initiative for Disability Awareness Rights and
Empowerment
According to Monika, the government should also start an awareness campaign
about provisions of the Act so the community is made aware of their rights.
The RPWD Act can only be effectively implemented once respective state
governments form the rules and guidelines to be followed. In absence of which
the disabled community cannot get the benefits and facilities that are
lawfully theirs.
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/goa-finally-gets-rules-notified-under-rpwd-act-2016
