Patna, March 13: JM Institute of Speech and Hearing today launched a two-day state-level consultancy for compiling suggestions to be listed for amendments to Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2011.

The meet was convened as part of the Union government’s decision to invite suggestions from the states after it felt there was a lack of practical applications of the act.

Around 120 differently-abled people and members of non-governmental organisations attended the meet.

Manoj Kumar, the former chief commissioner for persons with disabilities, said: “There are no special schemes for differently-abled persons in the state and only the Centre-initiated schemes are running. However, the main problem is that the group is not visible to the society. There is a lack of institutions that could help their proper development and social security. The differently-abled people do not form the votebank and that is probably the reason the governments are not so disabled-friendly.”

Manisha Kumari, the director of JM Institute of Speech and Hearing, said: “The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995 did not conform to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Equality of differently-abled people and provision against their differentiation was also absent. So it is necessary to amend the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2011 so that there is no possibility of its failure.”

S.K. Singh, the state convener of National Disability Network, said there is a need for a separate ministry for the differently-abled people and recommended the creation of a quota for them in the governments and hiking the reservation percentage in institutions to 10 per cent from six per cent.”