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    Accessible India Campaign

    Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan)

    The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) launched the
    Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) as a nation-wide initiative to achieve
    universal accessibility for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) on
    December 3, 2015.

    Built Environment Accessibility

    An accessible physical environment benefits everyone, not just persons with disabilities.
    Measures should be taken to eliminate barriers in both indoor and outdoor spaces,
    including schools, medical facilities, and workplaces.

    Transportation System Accessibility

    Transportation is essential for independent living. Persons with Disabilities (PwDs),
    like everyone else, rely on accessible transportation to travel. This includes
    air travel, buses, taxis, and trains.

    Information and Communication Ecosystem Accessibility

    Access to information empowers individuals and supports participation in daily life.
    Information should be available in accessible formats to ensure no one is left behind.
    This includes access to price tags, event venues, healthcare pamphlets, train timetables, and web pages.

    The campaign aims to remove societal barriers related to infrastructure and information formats.
    The targets in this area include improvements in websites, audiovisual media, and the availability of sign language interpreters.

    • Enhancing the proportion of accessible and usable public documents and websites that meet internationally recognized accessibility standardsThis goal ensures that public documents published since a specified year and all
      current websites meet the standards set by the International Organization for
      Standardization (ISO), specifically
      ISO/IEC 40500:2012
      – Information Technology – W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.
      Public documents include laws, regulations, reports, forms, and brochures issued by both national and subnational governments.
    • Enhancing the pool of sign language interpretersIncreasing the number of trained and certified sign language interpreters to
      ensure inclusive communication in public and private services.
    • Enhancing the proportion of daily captioning and sign-language interpretation of public television news programmesEnsuring that a greater number of public television news programs include daily
      captioning and sign-language interpretation, based on agreed accessibility standards.
      Public television refers to programs produced, funded, or supported by the government.
    Apply for Empanelment of Access Auditor in Built up Environment
    Accessible India Campaign sub-scheme guidelines
    Title Date View / Download
    Revised Guidelines of Accessible India Campaign Sub-scheme of SIPDA 31/10/2023
    Accessible Version : View (503 KB) / 
    Standards/Guidelines notified under the Rights for Persons with Disabilities Rules 2017
    Title Date View / Download
    Accessibility standards and Guidelines for Banking Sector 02/07/2024
    Accessible Version : View (746 KB) / 
    Accessibility Guidelines and Standards for Higher Education Institutions and Universities by Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. 25/06/2024
    Accessible Version : View (10 MB) / 
    Accessibility Code for Educational Institutions by Dept. of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education 20/06/2024
    Accessible Version : View (5 MB) / 
    Accessibility Standards and Guidelines for MHA Specific Built Infrastructures & Associated Services for Police Stations, Prisons & Disaster Mitigation Centres by Ministry of Home Affairs 22/03/2024
    Accessible Version : View
    Guidelines on accessibility of Indian Railway stations and facilities at stations for differently abled persons (Divyangjan) and passengers with reduced mobility by Ministry of Railways 08/03/2024
    Accessible Version : View (4 MB) / 
    Guidelines on accessible and inclusive piped water supply for persons with disabilities and for other population groups with access challenges by Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation 15/02/2024
    Accessible Version : View (4 MB) / 
    Guidelines for Accessibility Standards in Port Sector by Ministry of Port Shipping and Waterways 15/02/2024
    Accessible Version : View (4 MB) / 
    Rural Sector Specific Harmonized accessibility Standards/ guidelines by Ministry of Rural Development 16/11/2023
    Accessible Version : View (1 MB) / 
    Accessibility standards for Health Care by Ministry of Health and family Affairs 09/08/2023
    Accessible Version : View (5 MB) / 
    The accessibility standards and guidelines for Civil Aviation 2022 by Ministry of Civil Aviation 21/07/2023
    Accessible Version : View
    Guidelines on accessible sports complex and residential facilities for sports persons with disabilities by Department of Sports 17/07/2023
    Accessible Version : View (4 MB) / 
    Culture sector specific harmonised accessibility standards by Ministry of Culture 13/07/2023
    Accessible Version : View (2 MB) / 
    Accessibility for the ICT products and services (Part I and II) by Bureau of Indian Standards(Department of Consumer Affairs) 11/06/2023
    Accessible Version : View (5 MB) / 
    Harmonised guidelines & standards for universal accessibility in India 2021 by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs 05/06/2023
    Accessible Version : View
    Accessibility for the ICT products and services 11/05/2023
    Accessible Version : View
    Accessibility Standards for Bus Body Code by Ministry of Road Transport and highways 16/09/2016
    Accessible Version : View (5 MB) / 
    Number of Ministries/Departments that have adopted the guidelines/standards of other Ministry/Department as notified under Rule 15 of the RPwD Rules.
    RPwD Rule Clause (as Amended) Standards/Guidelines Concerned Ministry/Department
    No separate guidelines Adopted BIS Standards: Accessibility for ICT Products and Services (Part I and II) Department of Telecommunication
    No separate guidelines Adopted MoHUA’s Harmonised Guidelines 2021 and BIS Standards: Accessibility for ICT Products and Services (Part I and II) Department of Law and Justice
    No separate guidelines Adopted BIS Standards: Accessibility for ICT Products and Services (Part I and II) Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)

    Guidelines awaited for notification in Gazette of India by concerned Ministry/Department – Action to be taken by the concerned Department/Ministry
    Serial Number Name of the Guidelines Date of Public Consultation Date of Completed CCPD Consultation Concerned Ministry/Department
    1 Accessibility Guidelines for Bus Terminals and Bus Stops 16 November 2021 03 September 2021 Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
    2 Accessible Tourism Guidelines for India 2022 15 June 2022 31 August 2022 Ministry of Tourism
    3 Accessibility Standards for TV Programmes for Hearing and Visually Impaired 3 November 2021 Draft accessibility standards/guidelines for persons with disabilities under the Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill, 2023 have been circulated for public consultation. CCPD consultation was completed on 2 May 2024. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
    4 Accessibility Guidelines for Pension, Other Financial Institutions and Insurance Sector
    Pension Reforms 30 May 2023 25 August 2023 Department of Financial Services
    Insurance 9 May 2023 15 May 2024
    Financial Institutions 25 October 2023 13 June 2024
    Initiatives by DEPwD
    Title Date View / Download
    List of 10 Basic Features of Accessibility for Buildings. 22/11/2023
    Accessible Version : View (167 KB) / 
    Accessibility in Public Centric Buildings (PPT). 22/11/2023
    Accessible Version : View (1 MB) / 
    Example of Accessibility in Public Centric Building (Vedio). 22/11/2023
    Accessible Version : View
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