The government’s proposed amendments to the disability certification process are unlikely to fix the systemic issues
The government of India has recently proposed amendments to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, ostensibly to tighten the norms related to disability certification. The proposed amendments, while well-intentioned, come as a knee-jerk reaction, that is unlikely to contribute to fixing the systemic issues, at best; and at worst, will result in an already cumbersome certification process for persons with disabilities becoming even more so. In conclusion, while the intention behind tightening the rules to prevent fraud is understandable and appreciable, the government’s proposed amendments to the RPWD Rules fall short in several crucial respects. By failing to account for the realities of resource-poor settings, neglecting to address the reluctance of certifying authorities to recognize milder disabilities and not streamlining the acceptance of UDID cards across the board, these amendments risk placing persons with disabilities under even greater hardship while doing precious little to prevent a recurrence of Puja Khedkar type incidents.
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