In continuation to the Update reported earlier (please refer to the e-mail in trail), the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has issued draft Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Amendment) Rules, 2024 (“Draft Amendment Rules”) to amend Rule 15 (Rules for Accessibility) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017 (“Principal Rules”). It proposes to incorporate the ‘Accessibility Standards and Guidelines for infrastructure and services in Insurance Sector’ issued by the Ministry of Finance with an intent to make insurance services accessible to the persons with physical disabilities.
Objections or suggestions may be sent to Shri Ram Charan Meena Under Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Empowerment of `Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Room No 11A, 5th Floor, Pandit Deen Dayal Antyodaya Bhawan, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, 110003 or by email at rcmeena.79@gov.in by 10th November, 2024.
Key Highlights:
- Infrastructure accessibility- Harmonized guidelines and Standards of Universal Accessibility in India, 2021 issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs will be required to be followed in respect of every building owned, operated/ used and /or managed in the insurance sector.
- Service accessibility- Provisions must be made for the home collection and delivery of insurance and/or claim documents for persons with disabilities, through insurance agents, by post, courier, or electronic means. Insurance offices are required to provide all necessary assistance to ensure that no person with a disability is denied access due to a lack of accessible services.
- Information and communication technology accessibility- The Website and apps should be designed and developed in such way that they are accessible by all people, whatever may be their hardware, software, language, culture, location, or physical or mental ability. Documents which are required to be placed on websites shall be in electronic publication (ePUB) or Optical Character Reader (OCR) based pdf format.
A copy of the notification has been attached herewith for ease of reference.
Source: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
