The Union government has released draft amendments to Rules 17 and 18 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules 2017, sparking significant concerns among disability advocates and the community. The proposed changes aim to tighten the requirements for obtaining a disability certificate, ostensibly in response to a recent controversy involving the misuse of such certificates by a former trainee IAS officer.
Under the new proposal, Rule 18 would see the certification period extended from one month to three months. A key issue with the amendment is the lack of clarity regarding when this three-month period begins. The current rules mandate that disability certificates be issued within one month “from the date of receipt of the application.” However, the amendment removes this specific deadline, stipulating that the certificate or Unique Disability ID (UDID) should be issued within three months “if any disability is diagnosed.”
This change has raised questions about whether the three-month timeline will commence from the date of the application or from when the medical authority confirms the diagnosis. This ambiguity has fueled concerns that the extension could lead to even longer delays in certificate issuance.
The existing one-month timeline is frequently not met, as evidenced by personal accounts from individuals like one co-author who applied for a certificate renewal but has yet to receive it after six hospital visits and over 50 days. The extension proposed in the draft amendments is feared to exacerbate these delays.
Advocates argue that the extended timeline will further hinder persons with disabilities (PwDs) who require certification for education, employment, and other critical documentation where deadlines are often strict. Instead of addressing the underlying issues causing delays in the current system, the new amendments are seen as potentially introducing more barriers and complications.
Disability rights organizations are calling for a review of the proposed changes, urging the government to focus on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the current certification process rather than extending the wait time. As the draft amendments are open for public feedback, there is hope that the concerns raised will lead to modifications that better support the needs of the disabled community.
