States need to repeal the laws discriminating against the leprosy affected persons and ensure proper implementation of welfare schemes to improve their poor living conditions, says NHRC Chairperson, Justice Shri A.K. Mishra

New Delhi, 20th July, 2021

Justice Shri A.K. Mishra, Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission, India today said that the States need to repeal the laws and various provisions, which are discriminating against the leprosy affected persons. These need to be replaced by the policies and frameworks that will protect their human rights.

Justice Mishra was chairing a meeting organized by the Commission to discuss the issues related to the persons affected with leprosy. He said that concerted efforts need to be made to sensitize and create necessary awareness among different stakeholders that leprosy is not a very contagious disease and that the people affected with it can be cured and can be integrated to the main-stream & co-habited with their families.

Expressing serious concern over the poor living conditions of the colonies of the leprosy affected persons, the NHRC Chairperson said that some drastic and concrete measures are required to be taken to ensure that the schemes and the funds meant for the welfare of leprosy affected persons and their colonies are implemented with all earnest and earmarked funds are utilized properly.

He said that the Civil Society and NGOs also need to work more sincerely to ameliorate the cause of leprosy affected persons and to integrate their colonies with the mainstream of society. Concerted efforts also need to be made to convince the leprosy affected persons to go back to their homes.

The meeting was attended by NHRC Members, Mr. Justice M.M. Kumar and Mr. Rajiv Jain, Secretary General, Mr. Bimbadhar Pradhan, Additional Secretary, Mr. R.K. Khandelwal, experts Ms. Vineeta Shanker, former Executive Director of Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation and Ms. Nikita Sarah of Leprosy Mission India, among others.

During the discussions, it was strongly felt that besides several problems notwithstanding, the COVID-19 pandemic further worsened the condition of leprosy affected persons, particularly with regards to their food and livelihood.

Some of the other important suggestions that emerged during the discussions are as follows:-

1. States need to conduct a study to know how many leprosy cases are being reported every year to understand whether the disease is declining or increasing in the country;

2. States need to conduct a study to know the number of the colonies of leprosy affected persons and the number of people living there in;

3. States need to appoint a nodal welfare officer to act as a bridge between the State machinery and the colonies of the leprosy affected persons to help them get benefits of the Government schemes;

4. Focus on the education and counseling of the children of leprosy affected people to overcome the stigma and help them integrate with the mainstream of the society;

5. Ensure that sanitation, water, electricity and other basic amenities including healthcare, financial assistance is provided to the leprosy affected people living in the separate colonies;

6. Provide them skills for their socio-economic empowerment to earn sustainable livelihoods with dignity;

7. States need to set-up a system of monitoring of funds given to NGOs working for the welfare of leprosy affected persons to ensure proper utilisation of funds.

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