National Consultation on Biwako Millennium Framework for Action

Inaugurating a National Consultation on the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action organized by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in New Delhi on 9 October 2003, Shri R.S. Kalha, Member of the Commission suggested the following practical steps to realize the rights of the disabled.
§ All the Ministries should appoint a nodal officer to co-ordinate disability issues in consultation with people with disabilities.
§ A systematic review should be undertaken of the existing programmes and schemes to incorporate a disability dimension and to remove discrimination.
§ The Ministries and Departments should introduce disability specific programmes and schemes where it is not possible to overcome barriers through vertical interventions.
Emphasizing the relevance of regional mechanisms such as the Biwako Millennium Framework, Shri Kalha pointed out that the circumstances of people with disabilities compel us to reflect upon the struggle for social justice and the political obligation to remove discrimination. In that respect, a policy instrument that seeks to establish a rights-based society is of great relevance. Its earnest realization should be our collective mission, he said.