New legislation for disabled to be finalised soon: Selja

The new draft legislation for people with disability is in the last stage of finalisation, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Kumari Selja said here Monday.

"The draft new legislation for people with disability has been drafted and it is in the last stage of finalisation," Selja said while presenting the NCPEDP-Shell Helen Keller Awards.

She said the draft bill will bring a new wave of change, with focus on economic empowerment.

"We have also started a special recruitment drive and are working closely with the department of personnel and training (DoPT) for the speedy elimination of backlog," Selja added.

According to the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), around five to six percent of the population are disabled.

"The new law will treat disability as a development issue and not as a human rights issue, so that these people do not remain out of the mainstream," NCPEDP honorary director Javed Abidi told IANS.

"We are hopeful that the new law will stop discrimination and the ambit of the law is increased to not only physically disabled but also for developmental and psycho-social disability," Abidi added.

India already has the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.