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    India's acid attack victims to get disability benefits soon

    Synopsis

    The move is in line with a December 2015 Supreme Court verdict which directed state governments to include acid attack victims in their disability lists.

    ET Bureau
    NEW DELHI: Acid attack victims in India will soon be treated as disabled and granted disability benefits including reservation in government jobs and education institutions.

    The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities has recommended the inclusion of two new categories – acid attack victims and persons suffering from schizophrenia – in the list of differently abled under the draft Right of Persons with Disabilities Bill.

    The inclusion of acid attack victims in the list will pave the way for employment opportunities for such individuals, some of whom have taken state governments to court to press for enhanced compensation. The government has justified the inclusion saying acid attack victims face social stigma, which hinders them from full and effective participation in society.

    The move is in line with a December 2015 Supreme Court verdict which directed state governments to include acid attack victims in their disability lists.

    The draft Bill is under the consideration of a group of ministers (GoM), headed by Home Minister.

    People familiar with the matter said the GoM had asked the department for further categorisation of the different disabilities spelt out in the Bill. The ministers had asked the department if rather than putting all the disabilities together in one group these could be categorised as physically disabled, mentally ill, mentally challenged and diseased.

    has been sought by the GoM,” said one of the persons, who did not wish to be identified.

    The note from the department has defined different disabilities in medical terms and categorised them, the people said. Schizophrenia will be classified as a mental illness. The benefits that will be given to schizophrenia patients will depend on the final decision of the GoM.

    The draft Bill also addresses the issue of enhanced penalty for outraging the modesty of a woman with disability and termination of pregnancy after the consent of a guardian and medical practitioners.

    The government is planning to push the long-pending legislation in the second half of the Budget session in April. The Bill has been in the works for the past two years.


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