Census 2027: rights groups flag gaps in disability categories, Pg12

Key Highlights:

• Disability rights organizations have raised concerns regarding the proposed nine disability categories for enumeration in Census 2027.
• The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) stated that these categories do not adequately reflect the 21 "specified disabilities" recognized under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016.
• Activists fear that this broad categorization could lead to an undercount of specific disability groups, impacting policy and resource allocation.
• Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale had previously assured that data on all 21 disabilities would be captured in the Census.

Detailed Insights:

• The proposed nine categories for Census 2027 include seeing, hearing, speech, mobility, intellectual disability, mental illness, acid attack, chronic neurological disease, and blood disorder.
• Six of these categories—seeing, hearing, speech, mobility, intellectual disability (renamed from "mental retardation"), and mental illness—are largely carried forward from the 2011 Census.
• New additions to the Census categories are acid attack, chronic neurological disease, and blood disorder.
• The RPwD Act, 2016, recognizes a wider range of conditions such as cerebral palsy, dwarfism, muscular dystrophy, specific learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and multiple sclerosis.
• Several of these conditions, like autism spectrum disorder, specific learning disabilities, and dwarfism, are not distinctly represented in the proposed Census categories.
• Conditions such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease are grouped under "chronic neurological disease," while haemophilia, thalassemia, and sickle-cell disease are under "blood disorder."
• Inaccurate or incomplete data from the Census can adversely affect the design of government schemes, budgetary allocations, and the overall monitoring of welfare programs for persons with disabilities.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016: An Indian legislation that recognizes 21 types of disabilities and aims to ensure the rights and entitlements of persons with disabilities.
• Census: An official enumeration of the population conducted periodically, collecting demographic and socio-economic data, including information on disabilities.
• National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD): A prominent organization in India advocating for the rights and welfare of persons with disabilities.