Anticipating the realization of the women’s quota, experts are urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale to advocate for political representation for persons with disabilities. Arman Ali, Executive Director of NCPEDP and author of ‘Beyond the Visible: A Handbook on Disability Inclusion for Parliamentarians,’ emphasized the need for broader inclusion beyond the Women’s Reservation Bill.
Athawale, during the release of the handbook, expressed support for a national dialogue on political representation for persons with disabilities as suggested by NCPEDP. He highlighted the upcoming Census 2027 as a significant opportunity to acknowledge all 21 categories of disabilities through improved data collection and enumeration.
NCPEDP has reached out to top leaders, including President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, PM Modi, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging the incorporation of reservation for persons with disabilities within the electoral reform framework. The organization emphasized the explicit recognition of “political barriers” under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, stating that the lack of representation often leads to the neglect of disability-related issues in policy formulation.
With the potential expansion of legislative seats, NCPEDP stressed the opportunity to create space for inclusive representation without impacting existing categories. India, with a substantial population of persons with disabilities, faces an urgent need for direct political representation, especially with the expected updated data from the upcoming Census. NCPEDP is calling on Members of Parliament to address this issue during the current session and strive towards integrating reservations for persons with disabilities into broader electoral reforms.
