By IANS,
New Delhi : Stressing that people with disabilities should be made equal partners in the development process, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday urged that educational and healthcare institutions and government offices should become more accessible for such people.
Manmohan Singh said he had found in people with disabilities “a desire and even a determination to live productive lives and also to make their own individual contributions to society”.
“We should give them every possible opportunity to do so. They need equal opportunities as equal citizens with special needs,” said Manmohan Singh, addressing the state welfare ministers’ conference in New Delhi.
“We propose to amend the Persons with Disabilities Act in consultation with states so as to bring it in line with the UN Convention (on Rights of Persons with Disabilities),” he said.
The prime minister said accessibility was “a major issue” for people with disabilities.
“I would urge that our educational and healthcare institutions, our government offices, our banks and other places with public dealings ought to be made more user friendly and accessible to the disadvantaged persons. Small steps like building ramps or designating officers to facilitate their work can go a long way in this direction,” he said.
He urged the ministry of communications and information technology to promote development of accessibility software in all Indian languages.
With the economy emerging from its slowdown phase, the prime minister urged India Inc to “respond handsomely” to promote employment of disabled people in the private sector.