Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, December 17 2008:
"DATA GAPS which presently exist in north eastern states on the enrolment of children with disabilities in education must be remedied.
They must make systematic efforts to collect relevant information and compile it and take consequent policy steps".
National Human Rights Commission, Manipur Human Rights Commission and Government of Manipur sponsored two day regional workshop on disability for north eastern region which concluded yesterday listed this as one of their recommendations.
All state must evolve state policy for persons with disabilities covering inter alia education, employment barrier free environment, services etc it further recommended.
It also required to disseminate various government schemes for persons with disabilities among the NGOs and institutes as well.
Hand driver tri-cycles are not suitable for hilly terrain in NE region.
So it needs to revise the provisions of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to provide motorised tri-cycles which are suitable in the region.
Asking all the states to undertake surveys as required under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan regarding the category wise enrolment of children with disabilities etc, it also recommends implementation of the Section 26 to 31 and Section 30 of the Persons with Disabilities Act (PDW Act) 1995 to ensure that education is provided to all children and persons with disabilities.
In it's 6 paged recommendations, it said the right to life with dignity had no meaning without provision of education to persons with disabilities adding "there is a need to sensitise children on disability by including it in the syllabus in an appropriate manner".
For disability must be incorporated in BEd and MEd courses.
"Steps must be taken immediately to implement provisions in the PDW Act with sensitively" as 3 percent reservation in government jobs, poverty alleviation schemes is dismal in all the NE states,it felt.
It also recommends that all state must take steps to collect information on employment of persons with disabilities in government as well as in private sectors, besides in addition to special employment exchanges, persons with disabilities may be registered in regular exchanges.
In the light of the ratification of UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by the Government of India, there is a need to harmonise domestic laws with CRPD by implementation, monitoring and review processes.