The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) has called for a comprehensive, government-wide strategy to make India more accessible to persons with disabilities, rather than treating accessibility as an isolated concern of individual departments. The department stressed this message at a stakeholder consultation in New Delhi, saying that accessibility must be built into design and planning from the start, not added later as an afterthought.
The consultation, held at the India International Centre, brought together representatives from government ministries, state governments, disability rights organisations, research institutions and civil society to review progress under the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan and plan its next phase.
Key facts
- Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan was launched in 2015 as a national initiative for accessibility
- The consultation was organised by DEPwD in partnership with The Association of People with Disability (APD) India and Ipsos
- Participants included representatives from the Ministries of Education, Road Transport and Highways, Information and Broadcasting, Statistics and Programme Implementation, and Health and Family Welfare
- State Commissioners for Persons with Disabilities and officials from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha attended
- The consultation examined accessibility challenges across education, healthcare, employment, transport, financial services and public infrastructure
- Two roundtable discussions focused on accessibility data collection and measurement frameworks across sectors
What Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan covers
The Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan addresses accessibility in three main areas: the built environment (buildings and public spaces), transport systems (roads, public transport, airports), and information and communication technologies (digital services and websites). The 2016 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act provides the legal foundation for these efforts.
Why accessibility requires coordination across government
Ms. Manmeet Kaur Nanda, Additional Secretary at DEPwD, emphasised that accessibility is not the responsibility of a single department. Progress in one sector—such as making hospitals accessible—depends on coordinated action across related areas like transport (to reach the hospital) and financial services (to afford treatment). Without this joined-up approach, gaps remain that prevent persons with disabilities from benefiting from individual improvements.
State governments need to prioritise accessibility in their planning and implementation, not treat it as a secondary concern. Ms. Nanda stressed that accessibility must be embedded at the design stage of new buildings, infrastructure projects and digital systems, rather than attempting costly retrofitting later.
Current state of implementation
Shri Girish C. Hosur, Joint Secretary at DEPwD, outlined the achievements of the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan over its decade of operation, highlighting progress in public infrastructure upgrades, transport accessibility and digital service improvements. However, Shri S. Govindaraj, Commissioner at the Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, noted that significant barriers persist despite this progress.
The role of data and measurement
The consultation identified a critical gap: the lack of reliable, standardised data on accessibility across sectors. Two roundtable discussions examined how different government agencies collect and use accessibility data, and explored frameworks for measuring accessibility in a credible, practical way. Participants recognised that without good data, it is difficult to plan interventions, monitor whether they are working, or identify where to focus resources next.
What this means for you
If you are a person with disabilities or care for someone with a disability, this consultation signals that the government is rethinking how it approaches accessibility. Rather than scattered improvements in individual sectors, there is now recognition that accessibility must work as a system. This could mean better coordination between, for example, hospitals and public transport, or between digital services and physical spaces.
If you work in government, education, healthcare, transport or a related field, you may be expected to adopt accessibility standards and coordinate with other agencies to implement them consistently.
If you work in disability rights or advocacy, the consultation reflects the government’s openness to partnership with civil society organisations in shaping accessibility policy and implementation.
What happens next
The consultation is the first step in planning the next phase of the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan. Participants committed to sustained collaboration among government, practitioners, experts and persons with disabilities to translate accessibility from an isolated initiative into a measurable, coordinated priority across every sector.