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Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES, PROTECTION OF RIGHTS AND FULL PARTICIPATION

An Act to give effect to the Proclamation on the Full Participation and Equality of the People with Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific Region.

The Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995 is the disability legislation passed by the Indian Parliament. The Act is now replaced with more recent legislation Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

Legislative history
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 was introduced into the Parliament on 7 February 2014 and passed by the Lok Sabha on 14 December 2016. The Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 16 February 2016 and received the President's assent on 28 December 2016. The Act become operational on 19 April 2017. The Central Government rules 2017 have been notified under Section 100 of the Act and have come into force with effect from the 15 June 2017.

Content of the Act
Under the Person’s with Disabilities Act, disability is defined as blindness, low vision, leprosy-cured, hearing impairment, loco-motor disability, mental retardation and mental illness.

The Act ensures the forming of two central committees and two state committees to handle disability affairs. This includes the central coordination committee, the central executive committee, the state coordination committee and the state executive committee. The coordination committees engage with entities about needed policy and programme changes to protect the rights of persons with disabilities. The respective executive committees are responsible for carrying out the decisions of the larger coordination committee.

Case law
Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister was the first one to be booked under this new legislation when disability activist Satendra Singh (doctor) filed case against him on publicly humiliating a disabled employee. The addition of thalassemia as a new disability under this new law allowed a Chhattisgarh girl with this disorder to get medical admission after Supreme Court's intervention.