Disability Groups Slam Census 2027 Proposals for Inadequate

Disability rights groups are expressing concerns over the proposed categories for persons with disabilities in Census 2027.

Insufficient Enumeration

The groups claim that only nine categories have been proposed, which they say is insufficient to capture all disabilities recognized under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

The concern is based on forms provided under the self-enumeration process for snowbound areas in Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh, where the exercise recently went live.

According to the groups, this will result in inaccurate data and render entire groups of persons with disabilities 'invisible' in official statistics, impacting policy-making and programme design.

Demands for Individual Capture

The groups are demanding that the disability questionnaire in Census 2027 should individually capture all 21 disabilities as officially recognized under the RPwD Act, 2016.

Read More: Demanding rollback of key teachers’ examination, PhD scholars plan Bihar Raj Bhavan March tomorrow

This would enable targeted policymaking for persons with disabilities and ensure that distinct disabilities like autism spectrum disorder and specific learning disabilities are distinctly placed under disability categories.

Historic Opportunity Missed

The groups argue that this is a historic opportunity to enable targeted policymaking, but the current proposals will perpetuate outdated and inadequate classifications.

'Census must reflect the progress made in disability rights law,' said a statement from the rights group. 'The lack of disaggregated data for specific disabilities like sickle-cell anaemia and thalassemia is ironic, given that the government is running national programmes on certain conditions yet still not collecting data.'

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment argued that consultations have been held with stakeholders and that field functionaries will receive training to cover all aspects of the questionnaire.