New Delhi: The Government of India has called for implementing the accessibility related provision of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) with special priority and in a time-bound manner.

Social Justice and  Empowerment Minister Mukul Wasnik , in separate letters to the State Chief Ministers and  all Central Ministries , has drawn attention to Article 9 of the Convention which deals with the rights of the persons with disabilities (PWDs) with regard to "accessibility".

This clause emphasises that they should have access, on an equal basis with others to buildings including schools, housing, medical facilities, work places, and other indoor facilities, roads, transportation and other outdoor facilities, and information, communication and other services.
 
Reminding that India being a party to the Convention has an international obligation to comply with the provisions, Wasnik in his letter has urged the Chief Ministers and Central Ministers to make all buildings and websites of the State and Central Governments and their associates offices accessible by 2011.

The letter also draws attention to the “Guidelines for Indian Government Websites" which lay down compliance with level ‘A’ of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as mandatory according to which websites should be designed in such a way that they are accessible to the persons with disabilities. The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances had released these guidelines in February 2009.

Wasnik has suggested that a time-bound action plan may be chalked out for completing action on the implementations of the provisions mentioned above and ensure that a mechanism is put in place to make all the websites under their organisations across the country accessible to PWDs. The Department of Information Technology and the National Informatics Centre could be contacted for any technical assistance in this regard.
—iGovernment Bureau