Lok Sabha Debates
Discussion On The Rehabilitation Council Of India (Amendment) Bill, 2000 (Bill ... on 10 August, 2000
Title: Discussion on the Rehabilitation Council of India (Amendment) Bill, 2000 (Bill Passed.) MR. CHAIRMAN (DR. RAGHUVANSH PRASAD SINGH): The House will now take up Item No.9 – Rehabilitation Council of India (Amendment Bill) 2000. The hon. Minister to speak.
THE MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRIMATI MANEKA GANDHI): Sir, the Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992 came into force with effect from 31st July, 1993. The main functions of the RCI include standardisation of training courses at different levels, regularisation of standards of training in all the training institutions throughout the country, recognition of institutions/universities for their training courses within and outside the country on a reciprocal basis and maintenance of a Central Rehabilitation Register for professionals possessing recognised qualification in the area of rehabilitation.
The experience gained by way of implementation of the RCI Act has brought out the need for making certain amendments in the Act with a view to making its implementation more effective and broad-based and to bring it in consonance with the Persons with Disabilities Act. We have proposed to strengthen the activities of the RCI by adding promotion of research in rehabilitation and special education within its ambit.
I would like to thank the hon. Members of the Standing Committee of Labour and Welfare for their valuable suggestions and support given to this Bill. We have considered the suggestion of the august Committee regarding inclusion of the definition of ‘Special Education’ in consultation with the Ministry of Law (Legislative Department). We have been advised that since the expression ‘Special Education’ is finding a place only in the Long Title of the Bill and in the context of the qualifications of the Chairperson of the RCI and as it is a well-known and well-understood expression, we feel it is not necessary to insert the definition of the expression ‘Special Education’ in clause 3 which relates to the definitions.
I request the hon. Members to support this Bill.
"That the Bill to amend the Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992, be taken into consideration. "
(ends) MR. CHAIRMAN: Motion moved:
"That the Bill to amend the Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992, be taken into consideration."
… (Interruptions)
SHRI SUDIP BANDYOPADHYAY (CALCUTTA NORTH WEST): Sir, the Standing Committee had a detailed discussion on this Bill. It was very excellently placed. I think it can be considered.… (Interruptions)
1422 hours SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI (RAIGANJ): Sir, at the outset, I would like to say that in the BAC meeting, we had taken a decision that we would pass it within one hour. If Parliament, which is a great forum of the nation, considers not to discuss at all the issue of rehabilitation of the handicapped, I think we will do more injustice and assault in respect of their very emotion and sentiment. Therefore, I rise to support the amendment as proposed by the Government and initiated by the hon. Minister Shrimati Menaka Gandhi.
I would like to highlight only two or three points and nothing more than that. This concept is not merely a concept of law but it is a concept of human sense and values of the country. No law can decide the fate, future and the process of rehabilitation of the handicapped- whatever definition we may give. It is the social awareness campaign throughout the nation that makes the society strong. I think in the recent census – the hon. Minister may correct me if I am wrong – it was pointed out that we have the largest handicapped population in the whole world now. Being the largest in the whole world, we have the larger responsibility towards these people. I am ashamed to say that in spite of being a citizen and a man who is in public life, we do not give, in the real sense of the word, the proper treatment that they expect from us and the society.
Sir, you may go to any part of the world. Even if you go the smaller nations of Asia, in a bus, a train or everywhere, at the entry point, a seat is reserved for them to be seated without interference from any quarter. That has not been done in India till this date. The public transport system of our country does not recognise this issue at all. For hours together, without any help from anybody, they simply stand. Unless somebody asks such a person to sit, he or she has no room to sit in the present transport system. This is my first point.
Second, my suggestion to the hon. Minister is this. She can make a revolutionary approach in this matter. All of us, who are elected by the people in our respective constituencies, do have to meet a number of people of this nature every day. I tell you, Sir, that there are two kinds of cases. Ten or eleven or fifteen years back, the country had not a total immunisation programme on polio, especially in the villages.
(g2/1425/spr-bks) Due to that, there are communities; there are groups; and there are villages where in every family there are no less than two or three physically handicapped children. There are, of course, aged boys or girls and the rehabilitation process is literally nil. This is about physically handicapped persons.
Hon. Minister, if you could visit a place called Bangya Unmad Ashram, near Dumdum railway station, you can find a terrible situation and you can see as to what kind of treatment is being meted out to the inmates. Even if they want to have lunch, they cannot express that they are hungry. I have seen in one inspection, on a compliant from a locality, that people who are engaged there, they eat the food prepared for the mentally- handicapped persons. During lunch-time, when they cry and when they cannot express that they are hungry, there is no one to come to their rescue. Persons who are deployed there, they must be good human beings. It is not that they should work only for their salaries, more than salaries, they should have a good human heart. This type of cruel treatment is meted out to the mentally- handicapped persons staying in Ashrams.
I will give the third example. Recently it was reported as to what has happened in Uttar Pradesh Blind School. It was a big news in the newspapers – as to how they are tortured, and as to how they are harassed. Even some of them were sexually harassed. This kind of thing add more problems to the society.
Five years back, Shri Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Kumari Mamata Banerjee and myself used to organise a kind of identification camp for the physically handicapped persons. It used to be a big show. After doctors have identified the physically handicapped persons, they are then given limbs, chairs, support, and all the affection. Could hon. Minister, plan something so that each MP from the Lok Sabha, once in a year, conduct one identification camp? In this regard, there should be mandatory guidelines from the Social Welfare Ministry and Labour Ministry. In the identification camps organised by the public representative, the Social Welfare Ministry should extend total cooperation and support. This type of identification camp should be conducted once in a year. I am not saying that it should be conducted more than once in a year. Rajasthan may be doing it in April; West Bengal in May; and Gujarat in June. You prepare the schedule. It should be conducted with the total involvement of the public representatives, and with the people of the respective area in this regard, we could build up a much more social awareness campaign.
I may also suggest to the hon. Minister that please try to see that the Ministry enlists more genuine voluntary organisations which are not utilising the funds for their own purposes. The Ministry should divide the voluntary organisations area of activity in respective districts of each State. Monitoring report should be sought after every six months to know as to how they are going to do it, and as to how they are working.
Now, let me come to the Rehabilitation Centres. How many Rehabilitation Centres are there in India? We ask for the budgetary support of Defence. Of course, we talk of Defence; and we talk of every other department. But in Parliament, we never talk that the Ministry of Finance should give substantial support, budgetary support to this programme, to this Ministry. We never talk of that. If possible, hon. Minister can do it in the Cabinet. The hon. Minister can set up a Special Fund for the Rehabilitation Centres expansion programme - almost in every district of India or some nodal districts. We should select some nodal districts. I know that in the entire North Bengal, we do not have any opportunity to take a physically handicapped person for his further progress to the Rehabilitation Centre. Now, some limbs in Siliguri are manufactured with great difficulty. I would even tell the House with sadness that they are paying a little bribe to get the limbs. We have to send them there to get the limbs. Earlier, we used to send them to Pune or Rajasthan or any other part of India. Now, this situation is coming up every day. Therefore, I would request the hon. Minister to plan, to make a proposal in the Cabinet for more or greater budgetary support and involve the voluntary organisations, who are recognised for their reputation, distribute them a time-bound programme, tell them that they have to do this or that, in this zone or that zone, with regular audit, etc. (h2/1430/ksp/rpm) Then, there should be monitoring. If you involve us in the monitoring process, we will do it with great pleasure by even spending a little from our own pocket for this cause and the entire Parliament will be unanimous on this issue. Unfortunately, the largest population of handicapped persons is in India and the smallest awareness campaign is also there only in India.
Therefore, I think, the entire Parliament will agree with my suggestions. If the hon. Minister can consider my suggestions favourably, I think, the purpose of this Amendment will be further glorified and we can reach the object without any problem.
(ends) १४३१ बजे डॉ. संजय पासवान (नवादा) : माननीय सभापति महोदय, मैं आपके माध्यम से इस सरकार और जागरूक मंत्री श्रीमती मेनका गांधी जी को बधाई देना चाहता हूं कि जो संशोधन पहले होना चाहिए था, वह बाद में हो रहा है, लेकिन समय पर हो रहा है। जिस उद्देश्य से पुनर्वास परिषद का गठन किया गया था, निश्चित तौर से अपनी सीमाओं में, अपनी सामथ्र्य के अनुसार, जो इसके लक्ष्य थे, उन्हें पूरा करने का प्रयास किया गया, मगर बीच में कई कानून बदले गए, विकलांगता की परिभाषा बदली गई। इस कारण इस परिषद को चलाने में दिक्कतें आ रही थीं। आज उन तमाम परिवर्तनों को करके, मेनका जी ने जो काम किया है, उससे सही मायने में, यह परिषद् आगे बढ़ेगी।
महोदय, "पुनर्वास" शब्द बहुत व्यापक है। हम लोग बिहार में, अपने राज्य में पुनर्वास को सुनते थे, जिसको रिलीफ एंड रिहैबलिटेशन कहते हैं। रिलीफ जो फ्लड के बाद होता था या फिर पुनर्वास विस्थापितों का होता था। निश्चित रूप से यह बीमार से संबंधित है, रोगी से संबंधित है, विकलांग से संबंधित है, यह हैल्थ विभाग का मैटर है और वर्तमान में यह सामाजिक न्याय और अधिकारिता मंत्रालय में आता है। इसलिए हम निश्चित तौर पर चाहेंगे कि इस मुद्दे पर स्वास्थ्य विभाग, श्रम मंत्रालय, एच.आर.डी. का जो महिला और बालकल्याण मंत्रालय है और ट्राइबल अफेयर्स है, उनको भी विश्वास में लिया जाना चाहिए क्योंकि जो विकलांगता होती है वह समाज के कमजोर वर्ग में होती है और उसमें भी जो महिला और बच्चे होते हैं, उन पर इसका ज्यादा अटैक होता है।
सभापति महोदय, जैसा बिल में कहा गया है कि कल्याण, स्वास्थ्य और वित्त विभाग से इसमें सदस्य बनाने की व्यवस्था की गई है, हम चाहेंगे कि श्रम मंत्रालय का भी एक सदस्य रखा जाए, ट्राइबल अफेयर्स का भी एक सदस्य रखा जाए और एक सदस्य एच.आर.डी. मनिस्ट्री से रखा जाए। निश्चित रूप से पुनर्वास का जो मतलब है, इसका बङा भारी मतलब होता है, बड़ी भारी केनोटेशन्स होती हैं।
महोदय, इसमें एक रजिस्टर बनाने की बात कही गई है, मैं इसका स्वागत करता हूं.। सेंट्रल रेगुलेशन के लिए रजिस्टर बनाया जाना चाहिए। जो देहातों में पुराने लोग हैं, जिन्होंने किसी स्कूल, कॉलेज या किसी विश्वविद्यालय से डिग्री नहीं ली है, जो पुराने लोग हैं, जो अपने वर्षों के अनुभव से काम करते हैं, बहुत से लोग टूटी हुई हड्डी को एकदम जोड़ देते हैं, इस प्रकार से कई हुनरमंद लोग होते हैं, लेकिन उनको कहीं रजिस्टर्ड नहीं किया जा सकता था। परन्तु हम चाहेंगे कि उनको अब इस संशोधन के बाद रजिस्टर में शामिल किया जाएगा। जो पुश्तैनी और खानदानी पेशे के लोग हैं जो वर्षों से काम कर रहे हैं और अच्छा काम कर रहे हैं, लेकिन उनके पास किसी प्रकार की डिग्री नहीं है, उनको भी इस रजिस्टर में शामिल किया जाना चाहिए, यह अच्छी बात की जा सकती है। हम चाहेंगे कि इस रजिस्टर में उनको एज ए रिहैबलिटेशन प्रैक्टिशनर के रूप में शामिल किया जाना चाहिए। उनका भी इन्वाल्वमेंट हो, उनका रजिस्ट्रेशन हो, यह हम चाहेंगे।
सभापति महोदय, अभी यह प्योरली डॉक्टर्स के एम्बिट में आता है। जब भी आर.सी.आई. की बात होती है, तो आर.सी.आई. में हमेशा डॉक्टरों की बात की जाती है। कुछ लोग मेरे पास आए, उन्होंने कहा कि आर.सी.आई. का मैम्बर बनना है, कौन लोग उसमें थे, डाक्टर लोग उसमें थे। इस प्रकार से डॉक्टरों की जो एक मौनोपोली है, एकाधिकार बना हुआ है, यह टूटना चाहिए। यह ठीक है कि इसमें डॉक्टर का काम होता है, लेकिन इसके बावजूद हम यह चाहेंगे कि पुनर्वास शब्द के साथ अगर न्याय करना है, तो डाक्टर भी होने चाहिए, लेकिन डाक्टरों के अलावा भी जो लोग इस काम में लगे हुए हैं, उन्हें इसमें जोड़ने की आवश्यकता है। इसलिए हम चाहते हैं कि इस पुनर्वास शब्द को, ढंग से और ठीक प्रकार से इस्तेमाल किया जाए और केवल हैल्थ विभाग या सामाजिक न्याय या कल्याण विभाग तक ही समेट कर न रखा जाए बल्कि इसको जितने भी संबंधित विभाग हैं उनसे सलाह-मशविरा करके, राय कर के, उन सभी की भागीदारी करके, इस शब्द के प्रति न्याय होना चाहिए।
इसलिए मैं, अपने स्तर से, अपनी ओर से माननीय मंत्री जी और इस सरकार को बहुत-बहुत धन्यवाद देता हूं कि वे एक बहुत महत्वपूर्ण बिल लेकर आई हैं और महत्वपूर्ण क्षेत्र में हस्तक्षेप किया है। हमें विश्वास है कि इस बिल के पास होने के बाद से नए आयाम पैदा होंगे, नए रास्ते खुलेंगे और हम लोग सब मिल कर के पुनर्वास शब्द की जो व्याख्या है, जो उसका महत्व है, उसको समझेंगे। इसलिए मैं इस आसन से और इस सदन से उम्मीद करता हूं कि इस बिल को अविलंब पास किया जाए और पास करने के बाद, निश्चित तौर से, मानवता के नाम पर, भारत में जो विकलांग हैं, उनके लिए इससे एक नया अध्याय जुड़ने वाला है। धन्यवाद।
(इति) 1435 hours DR. RAM CHANDRA DOME (BIRBHUM): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I rise to support the Rehabilitation Council of India (Amendment) Bill, 2000. The Standing Committee, which examined this Bill thoroughly, have conscientiously recommended this Bill. So, I do not differ much from their recommendations. But I would still like to point out two things about the new provision regarding the constitution of the Executive Council where the number of Members from the Ministries has been increased. Earlier, it was debated that a chance of over-bureaucratisation is there. The same possibility is still here. So, I am still maintaining my reservations on this point. It would have been better to avoid the chance of over-bureaucratisation.
The Minister in her initial speech told us about the definition of special education for personnel, particularly, the Chairperson. The Standing Committee has made specific observations on this point. But the Minister did not accept those observations. I still maintain that this should be defined categorically for better functioning of the Council and to fulfil the main objective of formation of the Council.
Having made these two observations, I must say something more on this occasion. You must know that our population has reached 100 crore.
SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI (RAIGANJ): It is 100 crore and 38 lakh.
DR. RAM CHANDRA DOME (BIRBHUM): Let us say 100-plus crore. Recently, a mid-term Central Survey was conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation. According to their estimate, about 5 per cent of the Indian population are suffering from various types of disabilities. Just imagine it. Five per cent means five crore people. In our country, the people are disabled partially or completely due to various reasons. They are visually handicapped, auditory handicapped, physically handicapped or mentally handicapped. The dimensions of the problem are so severe that we cannot ignore their problems. We know that the diabled people in our country are very much helpless.
(k2/1440/rs/sb) Even today the Government has no definite programme for these hapless and helpless segment of the society. So, some relief or welfare work will not help them to get rehabilitation. According to these figures, I must point out, the programme of rehabilitation is not entirely based on the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. It is the integrated or coordinated approach of various Ministries, both in Central and State Governments, to help the disabled people in our country to get their rights and privileges to live in this society, and to live in the mainstream of our society.
Sir, in respect of education also, they are neglected. It is because some technical difficulties are there. Yet today we cannot say that the identified Disabled Specific Education system is foolproof. It is not totally sponsored by the Government. Majority of them are dependent on the non-governmental and voluntary organisations. So, my specific suggestion is that Disabled Specific Education system should be in the Government's programme and it should be totally sponsored by the Government.
Sir, many of the disabilities are due to socio-economic reasons. So, if we do not eradicate these reasons, we cannot prevent the disabilities in the coming days. We know that blindness in our country is mainly due to malnutrition only. Vitamin A can reduce the risk of blindness in the children if given at an early age. The programme for that is there but even today we cannot say that every child who is born in this country is getting a single drop of Vitamin A. This right has not so far been established today. Nobody is there to look after them and just some welfare programmes cannot solve these problems. A definite commitment of the Government and also of the society is very much necessary to eradicate the cause of disabilities like blindness. Still it is existing mainly due to lack of awareness of the society and the Government, and lack of commitment of the Government and society also.
Similarly, Shri Dasmunsi has also pointed out about Polio. Though, a massive drive has been launched to eradicate polio from the whole world and programmes of mass polio vaccination has also been going on in phases, we cannot say that the programme is taken wholeheartedly; that there are no loopholes. I cannot say that there is no difference between paper reporting and reality, being a medical person. If we depend on this sort of paper reporting then we will be disabled. Therefore, these sorts of progammes should be monitored stringently.
(l2/1445/lh-har) Sir, I now come to employment. In the process of rehabilitation, employment is a very important question, particularly, for the disabled persons though our Constitution has some provision for reservation to the disabled persons. Earlier, as per the percentage of the population, three per cent Government employment had been reserved for the disabled persons. But what is the state of affairs? What is the attitude of the society? What is the attitude of the Department? Could we say that this three per cent employment reservation has been achieved in every Government Department, either Central or State? We cannot say that. Everywhere, their constitutional rights are being denied in various ways. This sort of attitude is still existing. So, my specific suggestion to the Government is that they should form a National Commission to assess the exact status of employment of the disabled persons in our country in different Government Departments, either Central or State. This should be done with all sincerity.
Sir, as per mid-term Central Survey, the percentage of disabled population has been increased and it has touched five per cent of the total population. So, reservation for the disabled persons in Government employment should be increased from three per cent to five per cent accordingly. This should be done with all sincerity.
Sir, one very important programme for rehabilitation and also prevention of disabilities is creating awareness -- awareness among the people, awareness among the professionals, and awareness among every section of the society. Our media, both print and electronic, can play an important role in this regard. Even in Government media, we cannot say that they are playing the desired role in creating the awareness among the whole society about the reasons for the disability, prevention of disability, and rehabilitation of the disabled persons. We cannot say that. So, to create awareness, the role of our media should be monitored and re-assessed so that they can do justice.
Sir, regarding the role of NGOs -- Shri Dasmunsi has also pointed it out -- many of the genuine NGOs are doing a commendable job in this area but these days, floating of NGOs has become the order and many ghost NGOs have come up. In the name of service to the disabled persons and in other areas, they are creating many troubles and wasting the public money. They are exploiting the programmes. So, the Government should be alert and monitor the role of NGOs.
(m2/1450/mmn-skb) I want to highlight another important point. This is my suggestion. These days, in the matter of rehabilitation programme for the disabled persons, we cannot bypass the local bodies. Without involving the local bodies like Panchayats and Municipalities, these programmes cannot be implemented; the target cannot be achieved; and the success of the programmes cannot be achieved.
MR. CHAIRMAN: Your time is up.
DR. RAM CHANDRA DOME (BIRBHUM): I will conclude within one or two minutes.
So, Panchayats and local bodies should be involved in this programme actively. Last but least in many of the States, we, the elected MPs and MLAs, are getting Local Area Development Fund for doing various schemes under our jurisdiction. In this case, we, the MPs, are getting Rs.2 crore every year for the development of our areas but we cannot say that, at least, one per cent of our fund is going to help the disabled persons. So, my specific suggestion is that let us resolve that at least five per cent of our total allocation be given for the programme of disabled persons so that they can think that development means development of the disabled persons also. With these words, I conclude.
(ends) बजे प्रो. रासा सिह रावत (अजमेर): सभापति महोदय, मैं सामाजिक न्याय और अधिकारिता मंत्री, श्रीमती मेनका गांधी द्वारा लाये गये भारतीय पुनर्वास परिषद (संशोधन) विधेयक, १९९२ का पुरजोर समर्थन करता हूं। वास्तव में यह पुनर्वास परिषद् पहले १९८६ में एक सोसायटी थी जिसे संवैधानिक निकाय के रूप में मान्यता प्राप्त नहीं थी। बाद में भारत सरकार द्वारा १९९२ में संसद के अंदर भारतीय पुनर्वास परिषद विधेयक लाया गया था और ३१ जुलाई, १९९३ को यह विधेयक प्रवर्त हुआ। उसके बाद एक और विधेयक भारत में विकलांगों की शिक्षा, व्यावसायिक शिक्षा और पुनर्वास हेतु २२ दिसम्बर, १९९५ को पारित किया गया। इस विधेयक द्वारा विक्लांगों को समान अवसर, समान अधिकार संरक्षण, पूर्ण भागीदारी और इन तीनों चीजों में संरक्षण प्रदान किया गया। मैं समझता हूं कि श्रीमती मेनका गांधी द्वारा जो संशोधन विधेयक आज यहां लाया गया है, वह इन्हीं चीजों को और अधिक प्रभावी बनाने के लिये तथा अधिक सामाजिक चेतना पैदा करने के लिये है। इस बारे में समाज, राज्य सरकार और केन्द्र सरकार एवं गैर-सरकारी संस्थायें अपना दायित्व समझे।
सभापति महोदय, इस संदर्भ में मुझे एक द्ृष्टांत याद आता है। अष्टावक्र जी प्राचीनकाल में एक बार राजा जनक की सभा के अंदर गये जहां बड़े-बड़े विद्वान बैठे हुये थे। अष्टावक्र जी का शरीर आठ जगह से टेढ़ा-मेढ़ा था । उन्हें देखकर सभा में विद्वानों को कुछ हंसी आ गई। अष्टावक्र जी को थोड़ा सा सात्विक क्रोध आया और उन्होंने कहा कि वे वहां नही बैठना चाहते क्योकि मुझे तो एक विद्वान समझकर आमंत्रित किया गया था और इसीलिये मैं विद्वानों की सभा में आया था। मेरी शारीरिक कुरूपता देखकर ये लोग हंस रहे हैं। ऐसा लगता है कि इन लोगों ने मेरा बाहरी मूल्यांकन किया है और मेरे अंदर की प्रतिभा, क्षमता और बुद्धि का आंकलन नहीं किया। यह तो एक द्ृष्टांत है जिसके माध्यम से समाज को यह समझाना पड़ेगा कि विकलांगता जहां उस व्यक्ति के लिये अभिशाप है, वहां समाज का कर्तव्य है कि उस विक्लांगता को सम्मान प्रदान करे तथा एक सामान्य नागरिक की तरह उसके साथ व्यवहार करे। उसे आगे बढ़ने का अवसर दे, उसे शिक्षा प्रदान कराये। यह समाज का कर्तव्य है कि उसे पुनर्वासित करने में मदद करे।
सभापति महोदय, महाकवि सूरदास आंख से अंधे थे लेकिन कितने महान कवि बन गये। ऋषि दयानन्द भारतीय पुनर्जागरण के परोधा और क्रान्ति के अग्रदूत थे। उनके गुरु स्वामी विरजानन्द आंख से अंधे थे लेकिन कितने बड़े गुरु थे। उन्होंने श्रेष्ठ सृष्टि का निर्माण किया। इसलिये विकलांग हो जाना अयोग्यता का परिचायक नहीं है।
(n2/1455/bks-dva) इसलिए मैं आपके माध्यम से सरकार की प्रशंसा करना चाहूंगा और विशेष रूप से मेनका गांधी जी की भी प्रशंसा करना चाहूंगा कि श्री वाजपेयी के नेतृत्व में वह निरंतर प्रयत्नशील हैं। उच्च शिक्षा की द्ृष्टि से, शिक्षा की द्ृष्टि से, पुनर्वास की द्ृष्टि से जो समाज का सबसे उपेक्षित वर्ग है, उसके बारे में दुर्भाग्य से कहना पड़ता है और हमें इसकी जानकारी नहीं है कि हमारे देश में विकलांगों की सही संख्या क्या है। कोई कहता है कि सवा करोड़ है। १९९१ में हमारे देश की आबादी ८४.४ करोड़ थी और उस समय १.६ करोड़ विक्लांगों की संख्या का आंकलन किया गया था। लेकिन बहुत से लोग कहते हैं कि अब यह छ: करोड़ हो गई है, कोई कहता है कि आबादी का दस प्रतिशत है और कोई कहता है कि आबादी का छ: प्रतिशत है। इसका सही आंकड़ा हमारे पास उपलब्ध नहीं है। इसलिए मैं आपके माध्यम से सरकार से प्रार्थना करना चाहूंगा कि वर्ष २०००-२००१ में होने वाली जनगणना के अंतर्गत जहां और बहुत सी बातें पूछी जाती हैं, वहीं विकलांगों के बारे में चाहे वह अंधा हो, अपंग हो, अपाहिज हो, मानसिक या शारीरिक द्ृष्टि से अक्षम हो, उनके बारे में पूछना चाहिए कि ऐसे कितने लोग हैं। इस प्रकार यदि सब प्रकार की अशक्तता के आंकड़े उपलब्ध हो जाएं तो सरकार को योजना बनाने में सहायता प्राप्त हो सकेगी। मैं समझता हूं इसके लिए श्रीमती मेनका जी गृह मंत्रालय और जनसंख्या के निदेशक तथा आयुक्त को लिखेंगी, ताकि विकलांगों के सही आंकड़े हमारे सामने आ सकें।
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI I.D. SWAMI): During the census of 200l we have already made arrangements for having census of the handicapped also.
श्री रासा सिंह रावत (अजमेर) : अगर यह किया जा रहा है तो बहुत अच्छी बात है, किंतु समाचार पत्रों में कुछ दिनों पहले ही आया था कि इस तरफ कम ध्यान दिया जा रहा है। इसके लिए पूरा प्रयास किया जाए। आज शहरों में और सारे महानगरों में नेत्रहीनों, मूक और बधिर व्यक्तियों का कल्याण करने वाली संस्थाएं हैं तथा मानसिक चकित्सालय, मैन्टल हास्पीटल्स वगैरह शहरों में हैं, जबकि हमारे देश की ८० प्रतिशत आबादी गावों में रहती है। इसलिए जब विकलांगो के पुनर्वास का सवाल आता है तो राष्ट्रीय पुनर्वास परिषद जैसे संवैधानिक निकाय बनाकर उनके पुनर्वास के लिए रजिस्टर रखने के लिए और जो प्रोफेशनल्स हैं, उनकी ट्रेनिंग का मानक एक समान हो, जो काम करने वाले लोग हैं और जो वहां ट्रेनिगं दी जाती है, उनका स्टैंण्डर्ड एक जैसा रहे। जिस तरह शहरों में ध्यान रखा जाता हैं, मेरा मेनका जी से अनुरोध है कि इन सुविधाओं को ग्रामीण आबादी तक, गरीबों की बस्तियों तक पहुंचाने का प्रयास किया जाए। गांवों में अभी इतनी जागरूकता नहीं है, जानकारी नहीं है कि अंधा व्यक्ति शहरों में नेत्रहीन विद्यालय में ब्रेल लपि के माध्यम से शिक्षा प्राप्त कर सकता है या मूक और बधिर व्यक्तियों के लिए कोई स्कूल खुले हुए हैं। जैसे आजकल विकलांगों को पी.सी.ओ. बूथ दिये जा रहे हैं। उन्हें टाइपराइटर्स वगैरह की ट्रेनिगं भी दी जा रही है। कई विकलांग व्यक्ति संगीत के क्षेत्र में बेजोड़ हैं। गायन और वाद्य बजाने में बेजोड़ हैं। वहां उन्हें उनका स्थान मिलता है। लेकिन आज कम्प्यूटर का जमाना आ गया है और कंप्यूटर के क्षेत्र में प्रोद्योगिकी पुनर्वास परिषद का कर्तव्य है कि वह विक्लांगों के लिए प्रोद्योगिकी और प्रशिक्षण प्रदान करने का अवसर प्रदान करे तथा ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में भी इन सेवाओं का विस्तार किया जाए, ताकि गांवों के लोग भी लाभान्वित हो सके। हमें समाज में जागरूकता पैदा करने की आवश्यकता है, ताकि विकलांगों का कल्य़ाण हो। To serve the suffering humanity is our primary duty. दुखी मानवता की सेवा करना ईश्वर की सच्ची उपासना है।
सभापति महोदय, आप तो डाक्टर और प्रोफेसर रहे हैं, आप इस बात को भली प्रकार से जानते होंगे। कबीर ने कहा है - कबीरा सो ही पीर है जो जाने पर पीर, जो पर पीर न जानि हे वो काफिर बेपीर।
सच्चा पीर वही है जो पराई पीड़ा को समझता है। जो पराई पीड़ा को नहीं समझता...
सभापति महोदय (डा.रघुवंश प्रसाद सिंह) : वैष्णव जन तो तेने कहिए जे पीर पराई जाने रे।
प्रो. रासा सिंह रावत (अजमेर) : परहित सरिस धर्म नहीं भाई, पर पीड़ा सम नहीं अधमाई। परहित के समान कोई धर्म नहीं है और दूसरों को दुख पहुंचाने के समान कोई नीचा काम नहीं है।
हमारे समाज के इन विकलांग लोगों के साथ जैसा व्यवहार होना चाहिए, वह नहीं हो पा रहा है, इस पर ध्यान देने की आवश्यकता है।
सभापति महोदय, मैं एक बात और कहना चाहता हूं कि विकलांग व्यक्ति समाज में सम्मान चाहता है, वह भीख नहीं चाहता है। इसलिए उनमें आत्मविश्वास पैदा करने की आवश्यकता है। सरकारी नौकरियों में विकलांगों के लिए तीन प्रतिशत आरक्षण है, जो कि भरा नहीं जाता है। उनके प्रति उपेक्षा का व्यवहार किया जाता है। इसलिए हस्तकला के क्षेत्र में उद्योगप्रद शिक्षा प्रदान करने में जो राष्ट्रीय संस्थान का निर्माण जिन उद्देश्यों को लेकर किया गया है, शिक्षा और रोजगार प्रदान करने में शारीरिक और मानसिक क्षमता के अनुरूप उन्हें अवसर मिलें, ऐसा करने में यह विधेयक सक्षम हो सकेगा।
(o2/1500/hcb/tkd) उच्च शिक्षा विकलांग वर्ग के पुनर्वसन की आधारशिला है जो सर्वाधिक उपेक्षित हैं। मेनका गांधी जी समझी होंगी कि हायर ऐजुकेशन, टैक्निकल ऐजुकेशन और इनफ़ॉर्मेशन टैक्नोलॉजी का जमाना है, हमारे माननीय सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी मंत्री विराजे हुए हैं और इसकी बड़ी चर्चा है। टैलीकम्युनिकेशन्स के क्षेत्र में क्रांति आ रही है। यह आधारशिला है। एक ओर तो प्रौद्योगिकी और सहायक साधनों की आवश्यकता है और दूसरी ओर सामान्य नागरिकों की तरह इनके लिए शिक्षा की व्यवस्था करने की आवश्यकता है। आपने मुझे बोलने का अवसर दिया, उसके लिए धन्यवाद।
(इति) 1501 hours SHRI K.P. SINGH DEO (DHENKANAL): Mr. Chairman, Sir, I thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to participate in the discussion. I would not take much time.
Sir, I deem it a privilege that I stand up to support this amendment to the very comprehensive piece of legislation which is giving rehabilitation as a right rather than a welfare measure for people who are being denied opportunities of development to reach their full potential.
Sir, I support this Bill with all emphasis at my command, with my heart and soul. I congratulate and compliment the Minister and the successive Governments who have brought this Bill. Now, you are trying to strengthen it. You are legalising a very important segment, which was not legal so far, and for that you deserve to be complimented. But, at the same time, successive Governments have brought in Finance Development Corporation for the National Handicapped, National Trust for welfare of persons with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities. But, at the same time, persons with disability although there are reservations of three per cent, but there is lot to be desired as far as its implementation is concerned. If one goes by the Annual Report of the Ministry of Social Empowerment, it points out because of the multiplicity of organisations, State Governments, Central Government, public sector undertakings, private bodies, non-governmental organisations and a plethora of bodies who are responsible for implementing this, I think, a very strict and effective monitoring system ought to be evolved and developed to monitor it strictly because 75 per cent of our people live in the rural areas.
1503 hours (Shri P.H. Pandiyan in the Chair) If the National Sample Survey of 1991, which on a cursory and as a random sampling, is seen we will find that no systematic or scientific sampling has been done so far. It has brought about that 50 million people, that is, five crore out of 1,000 million are disabled, either they cannot hear, see, express themselves their anguish or cannot express to get any help. Therefore, a systematic and scientific data base is the essence of any planning, otherwise all these legislations will flounder because the implementation will remain unfulfilled and the legislation will not see the order of the day. Therefore, in such a thing, the convergence of all the policies and programmes is a very welcome thing and for that a very effective monitoring and convergence of attitude of minds as well as implementation should be there.
Thank you.
(ends) 1504 बजे डॉ.रघुवंश प्रसाद सिंह (वैशाली) : सभापति महोदय, देश में करीब छ: करोड़ लोग विकलांग हैं, नि:शक्त हैं और उन्हें डिसेबल्ड कहा जाता है। ठीक कहा प्रो. रासा सिंह रावत जी ने कि भगवान खुदा या प्रकृति की ओर से डिसेबलिटी उनके शरीर में हो गई लेकिन जो सभ्य समाज है, उसको चाहिए कि इस तरह के उपाय करे कि वे भी समाज में सम्मानित रहें, उपेक्षित न हों और उनके जीवनयापन के लिए विशेष सुविधा का प्रबंध किया जाना चाहिए।
सभापति महोदय, यह जो विधेयक आया है, इसका मैं स्वागत करता हूं। सन् १९९२ में सोसायटीज रजिस्ट्रेशन एक्ट के बाद जो नया विधेयक बना और फिर १९९५ में जो कानून बना, उसकी परिभाषा को इस विधेयक में सरकार ने दावा किया है कि सहज और सरल बनाया गया है। इसमें हैल्थ के मामले में स्पष्ट परिभाषा रहेगी और विकलांग को भी परेशान कर के अब नहीं छोड़ा जाएगा, जैसा कि पहले होता था। इसलिए इस विधेयक के माध्यम से परिभाषा को सहज किया गया है। सरकार के इस कदम का मैं स्वागत करता हूं।
सभापति महोदय, इस विधेयक के माध्यम से जो इस क्षेत्र में काम करते हैं और जो प्रतिभाशाली लोग हैं, उनको भी ट्रेनिंग देने और सहूलियत आदि देने का काम किया गया है। उन्हें इसमें प्राथमिकता के आधार पर सहूलियतें दी जाएंगी, लेकिन सभी बातों के चलते, विकलांगता के चलते, बड़ा भारी संकट गांवों में पैदा हो जाता है। जब हम गांवों में जाते हैं, तो किसी विकलांग को हमारे सामने लाकर बैठा देते हैं, जिसकी टांग खराब है या आंख खराब या पोलियो से ग्रस्त है। गरीबों में तो पोलियो की बीमारी अधिक होती है, उनके रोजगार का कोई जरिया नहीं होता और उसे गांव में हमारे सामने उठाकर ले आते हैं और हमसे कहते हैं कि उसकी सहायता कीजिए। हम बड़े असमंजस में पड़ जाते हैं कि अब हम क्या करें, उसकी कैसे मदद करें। जिले में कल्याण विभाग होता है वह भी उनकी कोई मदद नहीं कर पाता है। उन्हें सर्टफिकेट लेने में भारी दिक्कतें आती हैं। वहां न कागज होता है न कलम होती है। प्रखंड विकास अधिकारी के कार्यालय में भी कोई ऐसा प्रबन्ध नहीं होता जिससे उसकी ठीक प्रकार से मदद की जा सके।
सभापति महोदय, इस विधेयक में उसकी परिभाषा को सरल किया गया है। हमारी मांग है कि उसके काम में भी सुधार होना चाहिए और पूरे देश में जो छ: करोड़ विकलांग हैं, चाहे वे आंख से विकलांग हों, टांग से विकलांग हों, मानसिक रूप से विकलांग हों, बधिर या मूक हों, सब तरह के विकलांगो की किस तरह से मदद की जा सकती है, इस बारे में विशेष रूप से ध्यान दिया जाना चाहिए। गांवों में विकलांगों की संख्या जानने या उनके रजिस्ट्रेशन की कोई व्यवस्था नहीं है। जब हम लोग गांव में जाते हैं, तो देखते हैं कि हर गांव में एक-दो विकलांग तो होते ही हैं, उन्हें हमारे सामने पेश कर देते हैं और हमसे कहते हैं कि इनकी मदद की जाए। हम बड़े असमंजस में पड़ जाते हैं कि उनकी कैसे मदद हो। इस समस्या को दूर करने के लिए यह आवश्यक है कि ऐसी व्यवस्था की जाए ताकि सभी विकलांगों की मदद हो सके।
सभापति महोदय, कुछ एन.जी.ओ. ऐसे हैं, जो समाज सेवा के क्षेत्र में अच्छा काम कर रहे हैं, लेकिन जाली एन.जी.ओ. की भी कमी नहीं है। मैं चाहूंगा कि रिहैबलिटेशन के क्षेत्र में जो जाली एन.जी.ओ. काम कर रहे हैं, उन्हें पकड़ा जाए और उनकी मदद रोक दी जाए और जो अच्छा काम कर रहे हैं, उनके बारे में मेरा निवेदन है कि सरकार उन्हें प्रोत्साहित करे। जो एन.जी.ओ. उपेक्षित, पीड़ित और विकलांग की सच्चे मायने में सेवा कर रहे हैं, उन्हें सहायता दी जानी चाहिए। इसके साथ ही साथ आवश्यकता इस बात की है कि राज्य और केन्द्र सरकार के कल्याण विभाग भी ठीक प्रकार से काम करें। प्रक्रिया इतनी सहज और सरल होनी चाहिए कि एन.जी.ओ. ज्यादा अच्छे ढंग से काम कर सकें जिससे गांवों में आइडेंटिफाई किया जा सके कि कौन विकलांग हैं और उनकी मदद कैसे की जा सकती है।
सभापति महोदय, तीन प्रतिशत विकलांगों को जो सरकारी नौकरी में आरक्षण है, उसमें भी उनका पूरा प्रतनधित्व ठीक प्रकार से नहीं होता है। प्राय: होता यह है कि सरकारी नौकरी भी विकलांग को नहीं मिलती है क्योंकि उससे सब घृणा करते हैं। इसलिए हम अपने को सभ्य समाज तभी समझेंगे जब देश के उपेक्षित, पीड़ित, शोषित समाज के लोगों को सम्मानित किया जाएगा और बराबर का दर्जा दिया जाएगा तथा देश के सभी विकलांगों की मदद की जाएगी और जो कानून बन रहा है उसके प्रावधानों को प्रेक्टीकली समाज में एप्लाई किया जाएगा, व्यवहार में लाया जाए। इन्हीं शब्दों के साथ मैं आपका धन्यवाद करता हूं।
(इति) (q2/1510/krr/rjs) 1510 hours SHRIMATI MARGARET ALVA (CANARA): Thank you Mr. Chairman for the opportunity given to me. Sir, I stand to support the Bill, but with a certain concern. I do understand that when we come with a legislation and with such amendments, our intentions are very good. But I have found from long experience of both dealing with the handicapped as the President of an organisation for deaf women for eight years, and as a Minister, I have seen over the years that all institutions set up by Government – and we have also been in Government – tend to be rehabilitation committees or rehabilitation commissions for retiring bureaucrats. All the definitions and the qualifications that are stipulated are meant to rehabilitate them after retirement. Here also I see in this amendment that there has to be administrative experience to the Chairman of the Council. Most often, working with the handicapped or with those with disabilities, I think, requires more involvement, an emotional commitment which is from the heart rather than administration and, if I may say so, purely thinking from the mind and the brain.
What we need to deal with the handicapped is people who understand their problem and who can identify with them and it is not just an administrator who may have had some specialised place in Government and who after retirement has to find a place.
The second and the more important point, which I think we generally lose out, is the fact that in our country anybody with a handicap, particularly little children in the rural side, are looked upon either as a curse or the saying is something must have been done by his family in the past and so God has punished this generation. It is always looked upon even mentally by the society as a curse or as something which that child is paying the price for. We come across cases of children with disabilities kept chained inside the house, not being allowed to be seen by others because families are ashamed to see them.
Given the mental blocks, the poverty that exists in most parts of our country and particularly with reference to the fact that almost 80 per cent of our population is rural-based, I wish to ask the Government as to what special efforts are being made to cover this part of the population.
I come from a rural constituency. To get the minimum assistance for the handicapped is so difficult because you neither have the expertise nor the institutions nor the medical care facilities which are needed even at the initial stages. Most parents, poor and untrained and not really aware of what it is all about, are not able to go out of that environment and find help. I would, therefore, like to ask : Whether in all these amendments there is a specific effort here to cover the rural areas.
The watchword these days is NGO. सरकार से नहीं होता तो एन.जी.ओस. को दे दो। Where are the NGOs and who are the NGOs? I was recently at a Conference when there was this whole discussion on the involvement of NGOs. I believe today internationally there is a classification of NGOs. They have, what they call, ‘MONGO’ – ‘My Own NGO’. Either in Government or in the bureaucracy they set up their own NGO known as ‘MONGO’. They call it "My Own NGO".
Then you have ‘GONGO – Government’s Own NGO’. The Government sponsors certain NGOs, gives them all the money which are internationally known as ‘GONGOs’. These days, I am told, the businessmen have set up NGOs known as ‘BONGOs’ which is when another company or when some competition company comes, then the NGO files cases, stops it in the name of pollution, local development etc. and stops any other company or others from coming in.
(r2/1515/san-sb) I can go and give you the whole list of it. But this is what is happening. The funding of the NGOs is not an end in itself. How many of them are equipped to be able to deal with specific problems of rehabilitation of the handicapped? It is easy to come to a Conference and present papers and say हमारा एनजीओ ये सब देख रहा है। How many of them have the expertise and are able to deal with their problems? I would request the Minister to please at least have her schemes, which are available, circulated to Members of Parliament. Those of us who are interested, who are in the rural areas can, at least, give publicity and know how to go about it. The funds are available, but when we go to the Ministry and try to get some schemes approved, the procedure and the rigmarole is so complicated that even those of us, who have been in the Government find it difficult. I was Minister for Women and Child Development for five years. I myself find it impossible to get a single programme cleared for my own constituency from the Ministry. They would say यहां जाइए, यह करिए, उधर से सर्टफिकेट लाइए, do this and do that. At the end of it, I think the elections come faster than their grant and they are back to square one.
I would also like to point out here that day care support for the handicapped is very important. Where parents are working and where they are unable to provide full-time attention to the handicapped child or even a growing child at home and like that, they look for day care facilities where their child can go, be with others and get some kind of training and support. Or, even a question of being in safe hands, when the parents are away, arises. This facility is very expensive today and most parents cannot afford it. Statistics show that only five per cent of those afflicted with any handicap in this country are today covered under any rehabilitation programme and we talk with these amendments and legislations as if by passing them here, the problem is solved. The coverage is so little that the over-whelming majority is left out of the schemes and programmes though we are talking of crores of rupees being spent on rehabilitation.
I wrote about a month ago to the Minister for Human Resource Development, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi. I have got a letter saying that my letter regarding so and so has been received by him. … (Interruptions) What was it about? Maybe, I will send the copy of the letter to the Minister in charge of this portfolio. A lady had written to me. She is blind. She has done her Ph.D. with braille in spite of being blind. She had appeared in so many interviews for the post of Professor and Lecturer in the universities. Every time she was rejected and she was told how she can teach when she is blind. She had written to me a pathetic letter saying why she had to beg, after being a Ph.D., without being able to find employment. I sent it to the Minister for Human Resource Development saying that this is a case where he, as a Minister of Human Resource Development should intervene and see that justice is done to her. She is a rank-holder student with Ph.D., but she cannot find a job. We are talking about employment opportunities for the handicapped. Where and why? We have got one per cent reservation for them in all sorts of employment. How many of them really get absorbed? How many of them are provided with any employment? This is the question I wish to ask. I know that all this is brought with the best of intentions.
Sir, rather than isolating these children, particularly, who are handicapped, I think the time has come for us to train teachers for integrated education of those with minimum disabilities. When these children go into schools with other children who are normal, who care for them and who are able to help them, the entire thinking process of the child changes. It becomes one of self-confident and one of being able to live a normal life in the community. But in spite of that, we try to isolate them, keep them aside as if they are a different species, which I think is something which we must get over, if we are talking about real rehabilitation and strengthening of our programmes for them.
Of course, we are talking here about training for those who are going to care for them. Where are the institutes which have the expertise and the infrastructure to train? I would like to know whether in each of our States, there is even one institution which can really deal with the rigmarole. I would say this particularly for the rural areas. There are no institutions, there are no trained people and there are no primary health centres functioning. From where are we going to produce these kinds of facilities for training them or of involving them?
(s2/1520/sh-har) There is tremendous talent in the handicapped. We have been dealing for years with the deaf and the dumb. They can express their talent by way of art, the batik work, the paintings, and through other kinds of things which God gives as an alternative. What we need is to provide an opportunity to develop it. I think, this is the most important thing at the moment.
I do not want to say too much, but I must say that most of the funds that go from the Government, whether it is through the Rehabilitation Council, through the NGOs or others, just a small percentage of it actually reaches the handicapped. We are talking about all sorts of assistance, pensions, and other support systems. But where are the funds going? I think, we need to look at the entire system of dealing with the rehabilitation of the handicapped by having checks and balances, and by providing a chain right down rather than make it totally urban-based, totally sort of approachable by the special sections of society who are capable of looking after themselves. What is needed is an approach which moves out of welfare to justice, and to a place for these people within the normal social system.
Thank you, Sir.
(ends) १५२२ बजे श्री गिरधारी लाल भार्गव (जयपुर) : सभापति महोदय, विकलांग व्यक्ति भी होशियार व्यक्ति होता है। श्री मुकुट बिहारी लाल भार्गव जी इसी सदन के एक माननीय सदस्य हुआ करते थे जो अजमेर से तीन बार सांसद रहे और जो नेत्रहीन व्यक्ति थे। ऐसा नहीं है कि केवल जिसकी आंखें हों वही आगे बढ़ सकता है या तरक्की कर सकता है। राजस्थान के भूतपूर्व मुख्य मंत्री माननीय हरदेव जोशी जी का एक हाथ नहीं था। मैं समझता हूं कि वे भी एक प्रकार से विकलांग ही थे। इसी संसद में माननीय जयपाल रेड्डी जी हैं। विकलांगों की एक संस्था से मेरा अच्छा संबंध है। इस बात को माननीय मेनका जी भी भलीभांति जानती हैं। विकलांग व्यक्ति हारमोनियम बजा सकता है, गायन कर सकता है और लेखन भी कर सकता है। देश में इस बारे में कुछ संस्थाएं ठीक से काम कर रही हैं। दिल्ली में भी एक संस्था है जो जयपुर में दर्शनीय स्थानों को देखने गयी थी। विकलांग व्यक्तियों में बहुत प्रतिभा होती है।
माननीय मेनका जी जो बिल लाई हैं मैं उसका ह्ृदय से स्वागत करता हूं। साथ ही मैं यह भी कहना चाहता हूं कि मेरे निर्वाचन क्षेत्र के अन्तर्गत फागी में पानी में फ्लोराइड की समस्या है जो लोगों को अपंग बना देता है। इससे लोगों को ठीक प्रकार से जीने का अधिकार नहीं मिलता है। अधनियम की प्रस्तावना में कहा गया है कि विकलांग या तो मानसिक होगा, चलने में विकलांग होगा या जिसको दिखाई न देता हो, वह विकलांग होगा। इस परिभाषा में लोगों को लाया गया है। साथ ही जो बोर्ड के निर्वाचित सदस्य होंगे उनको तीन से बढ़ाकर सात करने के प्रस्ताव का भी मैं समर्थन करता हूं और अपील की अवधि जो ३० दिन से बढ़ाकर ६० दिन करने का प्रावधान है, उसका भी मैं स्वागत करता हूं। जो पांच प्रतिशत की बात सदन के सामने आई है तो मेरा कहना है कि ५ करोड़ २० लाख व्यक्ति देश में विकलांग है और इसके ७७ प्रतिशत लोग गांव में रहते हैं। इसलिए उन सारे विकलांग व्यक्तियों के लिए व्यवस्था होनी चाहिए। चार संस्थाएं जो काम कर रही हैं उनमें से एक देहरादून में अपंगों के बारे में काम करती है। दूसरी, सिकन्द्राबाद में है जो मानसिक रूप से विकलांग व्यक्तियों के बारे में विचार करती है, तीसरी कलकत्ता में है जो आर्थोपैडिक क्षेत्र में कार्य करती है और चौथी मुम्बई में है जो गूंगे-बहरे लोगों के लिए कार्य करती है।
(t2/1525/skb-kmr) मेरा निवेदन है कि यदि मंत्री हमारे वित्त मंत्री जी से "tax concession for reimbursement of profits in the building of social economy" पर बात करें तो उन सस्थाओं को १०० परसेंट की छूट मिल जायेगी और इन संस्थाओं की मदद हो सकती है। मैं जानता हूं कि बजट कम है लेकिन फिर भी मंत्री जी फाइनेंस मनिस्टर से बात कर लें। इस संबंध में एक जानकारी देना चाहूंगा कि जयपुर में डा. सेठी का एक जयपुर फुट नाम से संस्थान चल रहा है जहां विक्लांगों के पैर और हाथ लगाये जाते हैं। इसलिये चाहूंगा कि सरकार भी इस संबंध में मदद दे। वहां एक रामचन्द्र के नाम से योग्य कार्यकर्ता हैं और मैं जयपुर से आता हूं । इस संबंध में यदि सरकार उस योग्यता का लाभ उठाना चाहे तो इस पर विचार कर सकती है।
सभापति जी, मुझे आपने बोलने के लिये समय दिया, उसके लिये धन्यवाद और मैं इस विधेयक का समर्थन करता हूं।
(इति) SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI (RAIGANJ): Mr. Chairman, Sir, I would like to inform the House, through you, of a very sad news that we have just heard. A blast took place in Kashmir in which a few press photographers and journalists have been killed and injured. I would request the hon. Minister of State for Home Affairs who is sitting here to collect the details in this regard and take the House into confidence before the House rises for the day. It is a very sad incident in which eminent press photographers and journalists have either been killed or injured.
MR. CHAIRMAN (SHRI P.H. PANDIYAN): The Minister may collect the information and inform the House.
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI CH. VIDYASAGAR RAO): We will collect the information and come back to the House.
1527 hours THE MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRIMATI MANEKA GANDHI): Mr. Chairman, Sir, I am grateful to the hon. Members for having applied their minds and hearts to a subject like the Rehabilitation Council Bill. I would like to take up their points one by one.
Shri Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi talked about the importance of social awareness. About five per cent of our population is disabled and it is true that the larger the population of a country grows the more disabled people there are in that country in absolute terms. Shri Dasmunsi has said that we should do different things for the disabled. In the last about fifty years, there have been a total of 52,000 people who had been given legs and limbs by the Ministry. After I took over, in the last two years we have crossed three and a half lakh. There is a camp practically every week and sometimes twice a week. The first thing I did when I became the Minister was to write to the Members of Parliament and ask them, perhaps Shri Dasmunsi also got that letter, that if they were prepared to cooperate, I was happy to give them a camp in their area. A large number of Members of Parliament have been given camps.
SHRIMATI MARGARET ALVA (CANARA): I have not got it.
SHRIMATI MANEKA GANDHI: All of them have got it. Everybody has got it and a large number of people sitting on that side have been given the camps. Some people have been given as many as four camps because they had come back again and again. This is happening from day one.
We have now done over several hundred camps. These are large camps; these are not little tiddly piddly things where you go and distribute a few things. They also involved something which has never been done before and that is operations - operations of people who have their limbs stuck together and if just operated on would not be disabled any more. We have trained the doctors all over India to do these specialised operations.
Shri Dasmunsi wanted permanent centres. I am happy to inform him that in the last one year we have set up 107 permanent centres. We have taken one District out of five for this purpose. It will service five Districts and it will have a permanent aids and appliances centre in which people who are deaf, dumb, blind and who need limbs can go at any time, get checked up and also can be referred to hospitals of speciality if they need operations. Apart from this we are in the process of setting up six very large composite centres across India which will act as referral hospitals in which there will only be trained staff.
When I became the Minister, Alimbco, which has been there for many many years, was in the red. It was not making any money. It was working at 32 per cent of its capacity. It was due to be closed down.
(u2/1530/rsg-bks) Now, Alimbco is making a huge profit. It has turned the corner. We are starting two more Alimbcos across the country to keep up with the demand for limbs. We believe that nobody should wait for ten years because this is the only limb-making institution in the country apart from the Jaipur Foot. We should make them do more and more of this work.
We have also gone in for an American collaboration to make the limbs more and more sophisticated. This is apart from what we are doing for the Army units. The Army units have been given special moneys by themselves to rehabilitate their own personnel. Any rehabilitation institution of theirs gets a separate fund of money. These are some of the institutions that are in the process of being set up, apart from the camps. I think, by the middle of next year, you would see this spread across India quite openly.
Shri Dasmunsi said that all hon. MPs should provide support to rehabilitation. This is a part of the letter that I had written. In fact, I conduct camps only on the condition that the MP puts in some money of his own – from the MPLADS or wherever – and I put in the rest of the money so that we do not have small camps. The result is that we have camps where over a thousand or 1,500 people are given aids and appliances at the same time.
An hon. Member had asked about the NGOs. The largest number of NGOs is in this sector. I have found in my experience that the NGOs catering to the disabled are far more honest than those that take money for old-age homes, street children and everything else. There seems to be a basic level of morality in all of us that we would not steal money when it comes to the disabled. So, I am happy to support more and more NGOs for this.
As far as funds are concerned, there is enough money. It just needs to be spread properly in time. We have made all the certifications and paper work very simple. Every Member of Parliament has been given by me a book – either white if it is in English or blue if it is in Hindi – in which every single scheme and every single form is put down so that you can look at these schemes and fill up these forms in your own areas. … (Interruptions) I have received letters from everybody saying that they have got it. … (Interruptions) All right, if you have not got that we will put them into the books again. I assume you have got my letter that says that these are the NGOs in your constituencies. … (Interruptions) A lot of people have got it.
SHRI K.P. SINGH DEO (DHENKANAL): Why do you not put it in the bulletin? … (Interruptions)
SHRIMATI MANEKA GANDHI: What I have also done is to ensure that every single Member of Parliament has got a list of the NGOs in his or her constituency from me. … (Interruptions) It is difficult to believe that nobody has got it anywhere.
Dr. Paswan has asked about the Central Register. The Central Register that we have is for professionals. It is not for listing disabled people. For that, as the hon. Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs has already told us – thanks to his intervention – we are not having a census for the first time after 1980. So, we will be able to know exactly how many disabled people we have and what they suffer from. … (Interruptions)
DR. SANJAY PASWAN (NAWADA): I have not talked about the disabled persons to be listed in the Central Register. There are a lot of people who have indigenous knowledge. I had said that the people living in the villages, who are involved in this with their ancestral knowledge should be listed here. … (Interruptions)
SHRIMATI MANEKA GANDHI: I was just going to say that we have undertaken a bridge course in the last two years where more than 38,000 people who had the indigenous knowledge have been trained by the RCI. They could not apply because they did not have the necessary diploma or degree.
(w2/1535/vp/hcb) Regarding the three per cent reservation about which many hon. Members talked about, I agree that three per cent has not been reached. In overall terms, a number of people have been employed, but it is not three per cent uniformly. What I have done now is that we have started private employment agencies, which also train the disabled and get them jobs. We have a very successful one running in Calcutta, which is the first of this type. That is called REACH. That has rehabilitated a number of people – nearly a thousand people, in as much as one year’s period.
Prof. Rawat has asked as to whether disability has been included in the census.
I am just looking through to see what each hon. Member has asked and whether I could answer them.
Shrimati Margaret Alva has said that the RCI is over-bureaucratised. That may be true or that might have been true. But I have gone out of my way to see that it has a special committee of those people who have been involved in this subject. As you know, I made Shri Thakore Hari Prasad who runs a very large centre for disabled in Hyderabad as the Chairman of the RCI. On his retirement, I have made Major Ahluwalia who is himself disabled and who is running an excellent spino-centre, as the Chairman. We are also building three more spino-centres in different States. We have made the RCI to have a lot of specialised committees, which meet all the time. About 25000 doctors have been trained. There are in fact, 121 training centres of excellence. She was worried and a concern was expressed about not having training centres. They have been developed and a lot more will be developed.
I think, I have covered, more or less, the concerns expressed by the hon. Members. Shri Bhargava has asked for more institutions. As I have said, it depends on how many NGOs come forward. From my side, we have been setting up a large number of them. Thank you very much.
SHRI K.P. SINGH DEO (DHENKANAL): I want to know about the monitoring agency that you have.
SHRIMATI MANEKA GANDHI: I am sorry, I missed it. Earlier, we used to have just bureaucrats going around. They really did not know what to look for. So, they would come back from a place where they have no electricity, and say that air-conditioners are not enough; or they could come back and say that there was no board outside, or that the ledgers were not properly done, etc. What we have tried to do is this. We have tried to do a mix and match of people who are excellent in their field. For instance, people from Amarjyoti would go and look at somewhere else. We have also taken retired army officers. We have taken people from social work schools like TISS in Mumbai. We have our own specialised Departments with just inspectors now. The inspections are very very intensive. Unfortunately, they are bringing out a lot of nasty things to light. It may just not apply to the disabled. So, we will talk about that later.
Since so many NGOs were turning out to be less than good, I am sending a list of NGOs to all the hon. Members. I would hope that they would also monitor them for me and let me know whether the NGOs in their respective areas that have been given money, should continue or not.
I thank you all once again; and I would request the hon. Members to support this Bill.
(ends) 1539 hours MR. CHAIRMAN (SHRI P.H. PANDIYAN): The question is:
"That the Bill to amend the Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992, be taken into consideration. "
The motion was adopted.
MR. CHAIRMAN: The House will now take up clause by clause consideration of the Bill.
MR. CHAIRMAN: The question is:
"That clauses 2 to 7 stand part of the Bill."
The motion was adopted.
Clauses 2 to 7 were added to the Bill.
Clause 1, the Enacting Formula and the Title were added to the Bill.
- - - -
SHRIMATI MANEKA GANDHI: Sir, I beg to move:
"That the Bill be passed."
MR. CHAIRMAN: The question is:
"That the Bill be passed."
The motion was adopted.
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