-The Times of India   Delhi high court has sought a reply from the Delhi government and the education director on a physically challenged person's plea seeking amendment in the RTE Act to include a quota for the children of such people. HC issued notices to the authorities concerned on a petition filed by one Hilal Haider praying that there were deficiencies in the RTE Act that needed clarification. On his...

Unhappy with the government's “failure” to honour the promises made for persons with disability under the 11th Five Year Plan, the Disabled Rights Group has demanded that it implement at least those decisions that can be achieved in the remaining period of the Plan. The group will register its protest in front of the Planning Commission office on Friday, when the first meeting of the steering committee on ‘empowerment of persons...

The National Advisory Council today won a victory over the government with Sonia Gandhi stressing the inclusion of eight “highly vulnerable” groups among the priority beneficiaries of the food security bill. Sources said the rural development ministry, headed by Vilasrao Deshmukh, had been resisting the panel’s recommendation for a new category of households that are “highly vulnerable to food insecurity”. The eight groups identified by Sonia are: “Particularly vulnerable” tribal groups; Mahadalits; Households headed by...

Disability rights groups are up in arms against the divergent stands being taken by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on the rights of persons with disabilities. As per the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), ratified by India, all human beings are presumed to have legal capacities. However, while the new Persons with Disabilities Act, 2011...

This article documents and then examines the various benefits that, it is claimed, will flow from linking the Unique Identity number with the public distribution system and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. It filters the unfounded claims, which arise from a poor understanding of how the PDS and NREGS function, from the genuine ones. On the latter, there are several demanding conditions that need to be met in order...