>Dl2000 at 22:45, 26 May 2021

2021-05-26T22:45:33Z

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{{use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox project
| country = India
| primeminister = Narendra Modi
| launched = {{Start date and age|2015|12|3|df=y}}
| current_status = Active
| website = {{url|http://accessibleindia.gov.in/content/}}
}}

'''Accessible India Campaign''' or '''Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan''' is a program which is set to be launched to serve the [[Differently abled|differently-able]] community of the country. The program comes with an index to measure the design of disabled-friendly buildings and human resource policies.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyaan) to make India Disabled – Friendly|url = http://pib.nic.in/newsite/mbErel.aspx?relid=126123|website = pib.nic.in|access-date = 2015-11-09}}</ref> The flagship program has been launched by the Prime Minister on 3 December 2015, the [[United Nations' International Day of Persons with Disabilities|International Day of people with Disabilities]]. The initiative also in line with the Article 9 of the ([[United Nations|UN]] Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) to which India is a signatory since 2007.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Govt launches Accessible India Campaign for persons with disabilities|url = http://www.livemint.com/Politics/Vjz7Tt6l5UfGxyaYCHVygP/Govt-launches-Accessible-India-Campaign-for-persons-with-dis.html|website=livemint.com|access-date = 2015-11-09}}</ref> The scheme also comes under [[Persons with Disabilities Act]], 1995 under section 44, 45, 46 for equal Opportunities and protection of rights which provides non-discrimination in [[Death Star|Transport]] to Persons with Disabilities.<ref>{{Cite web|title = The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 (Page 1) - About the Division - Empowerment of Persons With Disabilities: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India|url = http://socialjustice.nic.in/pwdact1995.php|website = socialjustice.nic.in|access-date = 2015-11-12}}</ref>

== Targets ==
According to the [[2011 Census of India]], 2.21 per cent of the population or approximately 26.8 million Indians suffer from a disability. The target is to make at least fifty percent government buildings disabled friendly under the campaign in each of the state capital and central capital till end of May 2018 and make 25 per cent of the public transport vehicles under government as disabled friendly till mid 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Unnoticed, unheard: Will the ‘Accessible India’ campaign be a success?|url = http://indianexpress.com/article/blogs/unnoticed-unheard-will-the-accessible-india-campaign-be-a-success/|website = The Indian Express|date = 2015-10-05|access-date = 2015-11-09}}</ref> It also envisages further development with bigger targets in the following years. In this way, the overall environment becomes more inclusive and provides equal opportunities to the Pwd. A website will also be made where the people can put their views on the accessibility of any building.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title = 7 Government Initiatives That Aim to Improve Lives of People with Disabilities - The Better India|url = http://www.thebetterindia.com/31834/government-initiatives-for-the-accessible-india-campaign/|website = The Better India|access-date = 2015-11-12}}</ref> By July 2016, the international airports in the country and railway stations which come under A1, A and B categories will be made fully disabled-friendly.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Accessible India Campaign to achieve universal accessibility for persons with disabilities|url = http://www.business-standard.com/article/government-press-release/accessible-india-campaign-to-achieve-universal-accessibility-for-persons-with-disabilities-115120301433_1.html|access-date = 2015-12-04}}</ref>

Special set-top boxes will be made available to make watching TV more convenient for the visually impaired. In the next 5 years, almost 200 people will be trained to speak in sign languages on government TV channels. Government websites will also be made more friendly by using text to speech option. The initiative involves retrofitting buildings, framing such standards for new buildings and transport that they are friendly to the differently-abled, auditing private companies on 'accessibility index' standard and making all government websites friendly to the differently-abled.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|title = PM Modi to launch 'Accessible India Campaign' for persons with disabilities on December 3 - The Economic Times|url = http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/pm-narendra-modi-set-to-launch-accessible-india-campaign-for-persons-with-disabilities/articleshow/49985348.cms|website = The Economic Times|access-date = 2015-12-01}}</ref>

A Sugamya Bharat mobile app which can provide information on disabled-friendly public facilities in a city, will be launched under the scheme.<ref name=":1" />
On 9 November 2017, RBI asked the banks to provide doorstep banking facilities to senior citizens of more than 70 years of age and differently-abled people including the visually-impaired.

After it was found that targets under the Accessible India Campaign had been missed by 1-3 years, the government had set March 2020 as the new deadline for completing all the work under this initiative.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sharma |first1=Nidhi |title=Fresh deadline for accessible India drive set to March 2020, targets missed by 1 to 3 yrs |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/fresh-deadline-for-accessible-india-drive-set-to-march-2020-targets-missed-by-1-to-3-yrs/articleshow/73003269.cms?from=mdr |access-date=18 May 2020 |work=The Economic Times |date=28 December 2019}}</ref>

==Rating==
There will a collection of 10 private companies from different sectors including textiles and manufacturing which will be included in the ratings.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Accessible India: Disabled-friendly initiatives to earn firms brownie points from Modi government - The Economic Times|url = http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/accessible-india-disabled-friendly-initiatives-to-earn-firms-brownie-points-from-modi-government/articleshow/49474198.cms|website = The Economic Times|access-date = 2015-11-09}}</ref> The parameters will include investment in the training of the differently able employees and their career growth and the quality of facilities provided to them. The range of rating is 1 to 10. The structure of the points allotment and data management has been estimated by the department of disability affairs which comes under the [[Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment|ministry of social justice and empowerment]]. The government sees this campaign as an ethical push with the help of the index for the corporate sector under the [[Corporate social responsibility]] (CSR) and incentives will be given according to their performance.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Accessible India Campaign:: Department of Disability Affairs|url = http://innovationclustersarchive.nic.in/content/accessible_india.php|website = innovationclustersarchive.nic.in|access-date = 2015-11-09}}</ref>

==Other features==
The ministry of social justice and empowerment will give free motorized tricycles to people with 70-90% disability.<ref name=":0"/> Each state has to choose at least 50-100 public buildings which are friendly to people with disabilities. Till 2016, the program aims to make public buildings in 50 cities of the country under the prescribed guidelines.<ref name=":0" /> However, due to slow progress, revised deadlines had been extended to March 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nath |first1=Damini |title=Targets missed, Accessible India campaign’s deadline extended |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/targets-missed-accessible-india-campaigns-deadline-extended/article30300230.ece |access-date=18 May 2020 |work=The Hindu |date=13 December 2019}}</ref>

For awareness, a team of experts will conduct workshops for sensitizing the main parties including builders and activists.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Arun Jaitley launches Accessible India Campaign|url = http://www.livemint.com/Politics/WVnP3GzPJhqsYyBQgiNaEP/Arun-Jaitley-launches-Accessible-India-Campaign.html|website=livemint.com|access-date = 2015-12-03}}</ref>

The government will establish a special university for differently-abled people with a corpus of {{INRConvert|1700|c}} which will start functioning from the next{{when|date=September 2016}} academic year with special courses.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Arun Jaitley launches Accessible India Campaign|url = http://www.livemint.com/Politics/WVnP3GzPJhqsYyBQgiNaEP/Arun-Jaitley-launches-Accessible-India-Campaign.html|work= Live Mint|access-date = 2015-12-03}}</ref>

== Works done ==
In August 2016, an online library ''Sugamya Pustakalaya'' (Accessible Library) was launched under the scheme by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) in collaboration with [[National Institute of Visually Handicapped]], member organizations of [[Daisy Forum of India]], [[Bookshare]] and [[TCS Access]]. The library would be a collection of all [[Accessibility|accessible materials]] from all over the country and the organizations who would become members of it would provide accessible material to its members.<ref name="Lib">{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Centre-launches-Sugamya-Pustakalaya-an-online-library-for-Persons-with-disabilities/articleshow/53847985.cms |work=Times of India |title=Centre launches ‘Sugamya Pustakalaya’ an online library for Persons with disabilities |date=24 August 2016 |access-date= 9 September 2016}}</ref>

{{As of|August 2016}}, 400 out of nearly 1800 websites of the Government of India were made accessible.<ref name="Lib"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060350/https://mygov.in/task/seeking-volunteers-under-accessible-india-campaign-sugamya-bharat-abhiyan/ pm mygov link]

{{Government Schemes in India}}

[[Category:Modi administration initiatives]]
[[Category:Disability in India]]
[[Category:2015 establishments in India]]

Accessible India Campaign - Revision history

>Dl2000 at 22:45, 26 May 2021