UPSC Mains 2017 GS Paper 2 Q7: model answer
Does the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 ensure effective mechanism for empowerment and inclusion of the intended beneficiaries in the society? Discuss.
What the question wants
Discuss whether the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 provides an effective mechanism for empowering and including disabled people.
How to structure it
Does it + discuss: provisions, mechanisms, gaps.
- Shift in approach
- Key provisions
- Mechanisms
- Gaps
- Conclusion
How to think it through
The 2016 Act replaced the 1995 Act, raised disabilities from 7 to 21 and adopted the UN Convention's rights approach. The mechanism exists; enforcement and accessibility lag. Rajive Raturi (2024) is a good recent case.
Model answer
The 2016 Act replaced the 1995 law and brought India in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which India ratified in 2007. It moved from charity to rights: the barrier is the stairs, not the wheelchair.
Key provisions
- Recognised disabilities raised from 7 to 21, including acid attack survivors, autism and learning disabilities.
- 4% reservation in government jobs and 5% in higher education.
- Free education for children aged 6–18 with benchmark disabilities.
- Accessibility of buildings, transport and digital services within set timelines.
Mechanisms
- Chief Commissioner and State Commissioners for complaints.
- Special courts in every district.
- National and State Funds.
Gaps
- Accessibility deadlines missed; in Rajive Raturi (2024) the Supreme Court said the Rules set only soft guidelines and ordered mandatory standards.
- Commissioners lack enforcement powers and staff.
- Reservation posts unfilled; low awareness among officials and families.
- Disability certificates are hard to obtain in rural areas, though UDID cards have helped.
The Act is a strong framework, but its mechanism will be effective only when its deadlines and penalties are enforced.
Draw: A ramp drawn in three parts: law (built), institutions (half-built), practice (missing).
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
RPwD Act 2016, UNCRPD 2007, 21 disabilities, 4% and 5% reservation, Chief Commissioner, special courts, Accessible India Campaign 2015, Rajive Raturi (2024).
Where most answers lose marks
- Listing provisions without evaluating the mechanism.
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Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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