Call for PwD quota in LS and assemblies

PTI

New Delhi

Disability rights body NCPEDP on Tuesday stressed the need for political representation of persons with disabilities, saying a national discourse on this issue is also needed when the country is on the verge of ensuring faster reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and assemblies.

Speaking to PTI, Arman Ali, executive director of The National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), said disability continues to be viewed largely through a welfare lens rather than as an issue of equal participation and rights.

“If you look at disability only as a cost – giving pension, free aids and appliances and scholarships – that’s important, but my argument is disabled people are always an afterthought and this will not change unless and until we have a seat at the table,” he said.

Ali said persons with disabilities (PwDs) remain excluded from decision-making spaces and stressed the need for inclusion. “We want to know what is happening in our country. Nation-building is happening, but we also need to be part of it,” he said.

Speaking on the demand for reservation for persons with disabilities alongside the women’s reservation debate, Ali proposed either a separate reservation for persons with disabilities or their inclusion within existing reservation frameworks, including women’s reservation or Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe quotas, along with proportional representation in legislatures. He also demanded reservations for persons with disabilities through seats in the Rajya Sabha.

Calling the present moment “historic” in view of the proposed expansion of Lok Sabha seats through delimitation, he said it was an appropriate time to ensure representation.

“If not now, then when? Delimitation is increasing the number of seats from 543 to up to 850. Next time, we don’t know when such an opportunity will come again,” he said.

In a statement, the NCPEDP said it has called for a parallel national discourse on political representation for persons with disabilities to address their long-standing under-representation in legislatures.

The organisation said it has also written to President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and leaders across political parties, urging the inclusion of political reservation for persons with disabilities within the broader electoral reform framework.

“While the Women’s Reservation Bill is a transformative step, it must also open the door for broader inclusion. Persons with disabilities remain significantly under-represented in decision-making spaces,” Ali said.

Ensuring their participation is essential for a truly inclusive democracy,” Ali said.

He said India is home to one of the largest populations of persons with disabilities.

“According to the 2011 Census, over 2.68 crore individuals were identified as persons with disabilities, a number widely considered an underestimation. With updated data expected in the upcoming Census, the need for direct political representation has become increasingly urgent,” Ali added.

The NCPEDP said that “political barriers” faced by persons with disabilities are recognised under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, and added that lack of representation often leads to disability-related issues being ignored in policymaking.

“The absence of representation often results in disability concerns being overlooked in policymaking,” the organisation said. With the proposed expansion of legislative seats, there is a viable opportunity to create space for inclusive representation without affecting existing categories, it added.