More than 700 govt establishments draft pro-disability policy in 2 months

Around two months after having received show-cause notices, more than 700 government establishments in Delhi have drafted Equal Opportunity Policy (EOP) between mid-june and mid-august, senior government officials said on Thursday.

Under the Rights for Persons with Disabilities Act, workplaces are required to register their EOPs with the concerned commissioner for persons with disabilities and notify them after approval. Once notified, it has to be displayed on the organisation’s website.

Between April 2017 and May 2019, 1,255 government establishments in Delhi had registered and notified their EOPs. Most of them were government schools, showed records in the office of the state commissioner for persons with disabilities in Delhi.

Between June 1 and June 6, the state commissioner sent show cause notices to all government departments inquiring on the delay in registering and notifying their EOPs.

GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHMENTS

Till August 14, the records showed, as many as 2,000 government establishments sent copies of their draft EOPs to the state commissioner’s office. “As many as 1,342 EOPs in total are now registered and notified. For the rest, some changes have been suggested. They too will be cleared once the recommended changes are incorporated. The compliance level is around 80% by now,” said T D Dhariyal, state commissioner for persons with disabilities in Delhi.

The law applies to all government establishments and private establishments that employ 20 or more individuals. But there was no deadline set for the same.

However, a separate set of rules – known as the Delhi Rights for Persons with Disabilities Rules – was notified in December 2018. The rules gave a six-month window (from the date of notification) to the employers, failing which the state commissioner can urge the court to issue directions.

PRIVATE ESTABLISHMENTS

The compliance rate is low among private establishments. In two years, only 14 private establishments, including a popular shopping mall and three of its subsidiaries, have registered and notified and EOPs, the records showed.

“Awareness drives have to be organised to engage private establishments in such initiatives. Such moves have to be organic and not enforced. Private establishments should realise that investing on a work environment that is favourable towards persons with disabilities would uplift their brand image,” said Satendra Singh, member of an advisory committee set up by the Delhi government to help the departments draft EOPs and comply with the Rights to Persons with Disabilities Act.

Dhariyal said his office has approached trade associations to help generate awareness in the private sector to draft, register and notify EOPs.