Activists demand parliamentary approval for disabled rights bill

The members of the disabled community staged a protest outside the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party offices here Thursday, urging the parties to pass the Disability Rights bill in parliament.

The disabled community over the past two months has been staging protests and meeting leaders asking them to pass the bill. If the bill is not passed in this session it will lapse, they have pointed out.

"The Disability Rights bill... was finally brought up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha yesterday (Wednesday). But immediately a leader from DMK stood up and asked the deputy chair (P.J. Kurien) to refer it to the Standing Committee," Disability Rights Group (DRG) convenor Javed Abidi said.

"The House was eventually adjourned over other issues," he added.

"DRG is extremely concerned about the paucity of time. The bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha a week back once and, if passed, will also have to go through the Lok Sabha. But when will this even happen," Abidi said.

Apart from the Disability Rights Bill, there are three other bills pending in Parliament -- Grievance Redressal Bill, Whistleblowers Protection Bill, and Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes Orders (Amendment) Bill.