Guwahati: Disability manifesto drawn up by NCPEDP released for 2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Guwahati: As a member of the National Disability Network, Shishu Sarothi was involved in contributing inputs from persons with disabilities across Assam and NE India to the collective "Manifesto: For and By People with Disabilities" drawn up by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) with voices of persons with disabilities across the country mentioned a statement.

According to the statement, this historic initiative by NCPEDP calls on political parties to recognize persons with disabilities as a crucial voting bloc and urges them to prioritize the needs and rights of this marginalized community in their policy decisions. By amplifying the voices and concerns of persons with disabilities, this manifesto seeks to create a more inclusive and equitable society for all.

The manifesto has also been translated into Assamese by Shishu Sarothi for widespread dissemination across Assam to empower persons with disabilities to participate more actively in the democratic process and advocate for their rights. It has been shared with Organisations of Persons with Disabilities to different district units and a team of young women and men with disabilities recently met and presented the Manifesto to candidates and officials from different political parties too and the groundbreaking document serves as a guiding light for political parties, urging them to value the vote of individuals with disabilities and include them in their agenda for the 2024 General Elections said the statement.

The Manifesto includes the following key demands of persons with disabilities across the nation.        Increasing budgetary allocations for disability inclusion to 5%, affordable and accessible health insurance policies for all persons with disabilities, accessible and inclusive public and private buildings, products, services, transportation facilities, and communication systems, One Nation One Pension standard of Rs. 5000 per month for all persons with disabilities, amending Article 15 of the Constitution to include disability; 5% reservation at all levels of governance and nomination of persons with disabilities to the Rajya Sabha, access to work for small, large, and medium-scale enterprises, setting up a National Mission on Climate Change for Vulnerable communities including persons with disabilities, Digital Literacy and Smartphone access for girls with disabilities in high schools, accessible and inclusive sports infrastructure for para-athletes across the country and enhancing school enrolment of children with disabilities in parity with the national average.

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