NEW DELHI: The Centre is in the process of bringing out a national policy for persons with disabilities. The draft policy has already been circulated among the Ministries concerned, professional organisations and voluntary groups for comments. This was stated by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Meira Kumar at a function here on Tuesday where she released a compilation of judgments on disabilities titled "Judgements on Disability Issues: Case Digest, 2005.'' Ms. Kumar said the Government was also updating the list of identified posts for persons with disabilities and reviewing various provisions of Persons with Disability Act to amend the legislation.

3 p.c. quota

Ms. Kumar said the Persons with Disabilities Act provides for 3 per cent reservation for differently abled people with disabilities in government establishments against identified posts. "We are updating the list of identified posts so that the benefit of reservation may become available to persons with disabilities," she said. A committee had been set up for the purpose and sub-committees for each type of disabilities were also set up. The recommendations are to be submitted within six weeks.

Pointing out that the Ministry did realise that the Persons with Disabilities Act needed to be updated with changing circumstances, Ms. Kumar said the amendments would be brought about in a manner that the legislation became an instrument of social change. Also, the Central Public Works Department has developed "Guidelines and Space Standards for Barrier Free Built Environment for Disabled and Elderly Persons'' and the Ministry has taken up with the State Governments and Union Territory administrations the need for adoption of these standards in their building bye-laws for construction of public buildings.

Ms. Kumar also released a survey on the "Status of Education of Disabled Children'' according to which 55 per cent of the differently abled persons were illiterate while only 9 per cent had completed secondary or higher level education.

The total number of differently abled children in the age group of 5-18 years was 47. 24 lakhs and the enrolment ratio per 1,000 children was 450. Only 11 per cent of the differently abled children in this age group went to special schools in urban areas while the percentage was just one in rural areas. The study also shows that 23 per cent more boys were in school as against differently abled girls.

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