Accessible India Campaign

The reason for the implementation of the Accessible India Campaign is for a truly inclusive community where everyone may live an independent, self-sufficient, and dignified life while contributing to the country’s general growth. However, inaccessible physical locations, a lack of accessibility and transportation, assistive equipment and technology, and inaccessible sites and programs prevent people with disabilities (divyangjan) from participating equally in mainstream socio-economic and cultural events. This resulted in the introduction of the Accessible India Campaign in 2015. The UNCRPD inspired the Accessible India Campaign, where the Action Plan and goals of the Accessible India Campaign were formed to “Making the Right Real.”

The Accessible India Campaign’s Goals (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan)

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment’s Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) has conceptualised the “Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan)” as a democratic country’s flagship campaign. The Reason for the implementation of the Accessible India Campaign is to achieve global ease of access, enabling people with disabilities to gain access to the same level of opportunity, live independently, and engage fully in all aspects of life in an equitable society. The initiative aims to improve the accessibility of the built environment, transportation system, and information communications ecosystem.

Components of the Accessible India Campaign

The Components of AIC are given here,

• Accessibility in the Built Environment

  The Accessible India Campaign attempts to make everyone’s physical surroundings more accessible. Actions must be made to remove barriers to indoor and outdoor institutions such as schools, healthcare centres, and workplaces. The built environment includes not just buildings but also steps and stairs, corridors, pathways, curb cuts, parking, entrance gates, emergency exits, restrooms, and obstructions to pedestrian traffic flow. That is the first Component of AIC.

• Accessibility of the Transportation System

Transportation is an essential component of self-sufficiency. We can say it is the second Component of AIC. The term transportation encompasses a variety of modes of transportation, including air travel, taxis, buses, and trains. For many people who require accessible transportation, an inaccessible transport network restricts mobility, inhibits freedom of movement, and prevents active engagement. The Accessible India Campaign aims to give people with disabilities the same right as everyone else to travel and use the government and commercial transit system with dignity and freedom.

• Access to the Information and Communication Ecosystem

In the Components of AIC, everyone in society benefits from having access to knowledge. Access to information encompasses all types of information. This can include reading price tags, physically entering a hall, participating in an event, reading a brochure with healthcare information, understanding a railway itinerary, or seeing web pages. The Accessible India Campaign seeks to address all social hurdles such as infrastructure and inaccessible forms that prevent people from getting and using the information in their everyday lives. And it is the third Component of AIC.

Accessible India Campaign Targets

Conducting an accessibility evaluation Accessible India Campaign of the most significant government buildings and upgrading them to fully accessible structures

• In each of the 26 cities, an accessibility assessment of at least 50 of the most significant government buildings will be conducted to transform them into accessible buildings until July 2016.

• In each of the 24 cities, an accessibility assessment of at least 25 of the most significant government buildings will be conducted to transform them into accessible buildings until July 2016.

• By July 2018, 50 per cent of all government buildings in the Capital Region and all state capitals will be accessible.

The Reason for the implementation of the Accessible India Campaign is to conduct an accessibility assessment of all international airports, railway stations, and government-owned public transportation carriers to transform them into completely accessible airports and train stations, including public transportation carriers.

• Conducting an accessibility evaluation of all international airports to transform them into freely accessible airports by July 2016.

• Conducting an accessibility evaluation of all domestic airports to convert them to completely inclusive airports by March 2018.

Conducting an accessibility assessment Accessible India Campaign of 50percentage points of all government sites and public papers (both state and central governments) to transform them into accessible web pages and documentation by March 2017.

• Undertaking an accessibility evaluation of 50percent among all government websites (both central and state) and converting them to fully accessible web pages in March 2017.

• Ensure that by March 2018, at least 50 percent of all public papers released by the Central Authorities Governments fulfil accessibility criteria.

• By March 2018, 200 new sign language interpreters will have been trained and developed.

Conclusion

The Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) is a national campaign reason for the implementation of the Accessible India Campaign through the Ministry of Social Justice, as well as Empowerment’s Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) to offer universal access to people with disabilities.

The initiative strives to provide people with disabilities equal opportunities to participate in all parts of life and live independently. The Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan aims to create a more accessible physical environment, transit system, and information and communication ecosystem.

With a strong commitment to the socio-economic transformation of people with disabilities, the Government of India is working to raise public awareness of universal accessibility.