Guwahati: The Assam Centre for Rural Development (ACRD) and the State-Level Federation of Disabled People's Organisation for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SELF), NGOs working for development issues and rights of differently abled people in Assam have appealed to the state government to implement the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

The organisations highlighted issues faced by the differently abled people in the state and emphasised the need to raise reservation for the differently abled in government jobs to four per cent from the previous three per cent, in accordance with the Right to Disabilities Act.

Assam has more than four lakh differently abled people and according to norms of the ministry of social justice and empowerment, District Disability Rehabilitation Centres (DDRC) should be established in each district of the state to provide rehabilitative support to persons with disabilities.

ACRD executive director Prerna Changkakati said, "Our organisation has been actively working on issues like disability, child rights, education, health, livelihood, women's empowerment and human trafficking in the state. Human trafficking is rampant in the tea garden areas of Baksa and Udalguri districts. We have formed community vigilance groups and Balika Sanghas there to create a protective net and monitor cases of trafficking. We have also set up a rehabilitation home called Navajeevan at Sikarhati village near Mirza.

"On the disability front, we have initiated a Community Based Rehabilitation for Persons with Disability project at the block level. Our organisation is working in Chandrapur and Rani blocks in Kamrup district. The project includes home-based rehabilitation support to children with disabilities and distribution of disability aids and appliances from different agencies. We have set up mothers groups and disabled people's organisations in the villages at the panchayat, block and state levels."

Although DDRCs in 17 districts of the state have been envisaged, only three of them are functional at present.

Visually impaired secretary of SELF Namita Haloi said, "Everywhere we face the problem of accessibility. Public and private buildings are still not accessible to us. Schools are not disabled-friendly and teachers are not trained to handle disabled children. Although buses have seats reserved for the disabled, they are not practical. The government has announced a number of schemes but we are yet to get the benefits. Without government intervention, true inclusion of disabled people in society will never be a reality."