Monday, February 17, 2025

Disability groups launch a first-of-its kind Manifesto asking for a seat on the policy table

In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, a Manifesto – Manifesto For and By Citizens with Disabilities – was launched on Thursday by disability rights groups, led by National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) in collaboration with the National Disability Network (NDN), urging political parties to prioritise and address the issues of disabled community in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Emphasising the need
for equal treatment, disability rights advocates called on political parties to prioritise the agenda of persons with disabilities and to seriously consider persons with disabilities as a decisive voting bloc.

“As the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 draw near, citizens with Disabilities, which form 7% of the population of India and there are more than 1 crore registered voters, as per the Election Commission, it is essential that the voices of persons with disabilities are heard in the discussions around the 2024 General Elections. This is not only because they represent sizable votes but, more importantly, because they are a large consumer of goods and services and thus contributors to socio-economic development and GDP,” said Arman Ali, Executive Director of NCPEDP.

The disability manifesto represents the culmination of extensive national and regional consultations with a diverse array of stakeholders, encapsulating the pressing concerns and demands of the disabled community across India. NCPEDP, in collaboration with the National Disability Network (NDN) and the National Committee on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (NCRPD), invited inputs from more than 10,000 people with & without disabilities across the country. Based on these inputs, the ground-breaking Disability Manifesto of India, comprising 10 critical demands and representing the voices of people across the country, was formulated.

The manifesto emphasises the critical need for political parties to prioritise mainstreaming of people with disabilities in their 5- year action plans for the upcoming elections. The Disability Manifesto addresses a wide spectrum of issues ranging from budgetary allocation to health insurance, accessibility, social security, socio-political inclusion, economic participation, climate change, gender equality, sports, and education.

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