The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled(NPRD), a nationwide cross disability rights groups has written to BJP party president Amit Shah and the Congress party president Rahul Gandhi asking them to make certain commitments in their manifestos, including:

·         Implementation of provisions of the RPWD Act and Mental Health Care backed by adequate budgetary allocations.

·         Harmonising all laws in tune with the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities

·         Review, amend the National Disability Policy.

·         Proper enumeration of all persons with disabilities as listed in RPWD Act 2016.

·         Simplify certification process, speed up issuing of UDID.

·         Clear backlog in government vacancies in time-bound manner. Create new employment avenues keeping in mind capabilities of people with disabilities.

·         Make buildings, public places, all modes of transport, information, transport accessible. This includes broadcast media.

·         Ensure a life of dignity for people with disabilities.

·         Zero tolerance for abuse of disability/disabled persons.

·         Hiking pension to Rs 6,000 and linking it up to price index.

“We have also called upon them to make manifestos accessible in print and audio formats as well as in sign language”, says Muralidharan Vishwanath, General Secretary, NPRD