Parliament panel seeks accurate enumeration of all disabilities in Census | India News

NEW DELHI: Highlighting the need for a robust and reliable database of persons with disabilities (PwDs) consistent with the 2016 Act that recognizes 21 categories of disabilities, a parliamentary panel has recommended that the government influence the Registrar General of India (RGI) and 2017 for the compression and 2010-2000 measurements will confirm. All categories of disability, especially those that may not be visible or have physical symptomsThe Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment, in a report presented to Parliament in March, noted that the currently available estimate of PwD in the country is based on the 2011 census, where the number was recorded at 2.68 crore. Although the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995 was then in force, it only mentioned seven disabilities.The committee, chaired by BJP’s Lok Sabha MP PC Mohan, submitted the representatives of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) also noted that around 1.35 crore Unique Disability Identification (UDID) cards have been issued so far, the department has requested the RGI to recognize PWDs under 21 categories of PWDs. Act, 2016, during Census 2027. DEPWD officials also told the committee that they had requested the RGI to consult the department on the matter so that the census figures could be reliable.In its report on ‘Demands for Grants for the year 2026-27’ of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (DEPwD), the committee stressed that “a robust and reliable database, supplemented by the UDID framework, will greatly assist in evidence-based policy formulation and more effective targeting for the welfare of persons with disabilities.”These recommendations assume significance as Census 2027, to be conducted in two phases, is being launched on April 1, with the Houselisting Operation (HLO) being conducted from April 1 to September 30 this year. This will be followed by a population census in February 2027 in which PwDs will also be covered. The enumeration questionnaire for PWDs is expected to be finalized near the end of the first phase of the census in September.