Delhi government approaches L-G Baijal on disabilities law, rubbishes BJP statement

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has drafted the law for disabilities with necessary corrections as notified earlier and approached the Lt-Governor Anil Baijal for its approval.

Rubbishing the allegation by BJP of not making formulating the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act bill, the minister Rajendra Pal Gautam asserted that the government is ready with the bill. The social welfare department clarified that the definition of "government" had emerged as a roadblock in the implementation of the rules under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities law in Delhi.

The law department has informed the AAP administration that the term "state government" has not been defined in the Act, which was passed by the Parliament in December 2016.

The government has now approached Baijal, who is the administrative head of the national capital as per the prevailing constitutional arrangement, to give necessary approvals so that the rules under the Act can be notified, Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said.

Following L-G's approval, the government will write to the Union Home Ministry to issue a notification empowering the L-G to notify the rules in his capacity as the "government", the department clarified.

"The Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta has tried to mislead people by claiming that the state government is deliberately delaying the process when the fact is we do not have the requisite powers to notify the rules," Gautam said.

On Thursday, Gupta had sought urgent adoption of the law saying it would bring much-needed positive changes in the lives of the disabled residing in Delhi.

The new categories include mental illness, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions, multiple sclerosis, speech and language disability, thalassemia, haemophilia, sickle cell disease, multiple disabilities including deaf-blindness, acid attack victims and Parkinson's disease.

According to the Act, assaulting, insulting, intimidating, denying food to a person with the disability or sexually exploiting a disabled woman and performing a medical procedure on such women without consent which may lead to termination of pregnancy will draw a jail term up to five years once the law is passed. Any person who contravenes any provision of the act will be punished with a maximum fine of Rs 5 lakh.