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Building an Inclusive India: Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas
Prime Minister Modi launched the Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) in 2015. This flagship initiative aimed to set accessibility standards, update laws, and increase awareness around physical and digital accessibility
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PM Modi interacting with children with special needs during during an event. / Courtesy/Pranav Desai
PM Modi has spearheaded several transformative initiatives aimed at fostering a more inclusive India. One such initiative is focused on India’s over 100 million citizens with disabilities, translating empathy into concrete actions.
A pivotal moment in this journey was Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with me, Pranav Desai, founder of the Voice of Specially Abled People (VOSAP), in December 2013 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. This meeting centered around my vision for empowering individuals with disabilities. The discussions culminated in a proposal given to him in September 2014 in New York, leading to the government’s strong commitment to inclusion. My blueprint emphasized accessibility, assistive technology, and awareness of the abilities of persons with disabilities as key factors for economic inclusion.
Following this blueprint, Prime Minister Modi launched the Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) in 2015. This flagship initiative aimed to set accessibility standards, update laws, and increase awareness around physical and digital accessibility. It was a significant step toward making India’s public spaces, transportation systems, and digital platforms accessible to all.
In 2016, a milestone was achieved with the enactment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD). This legislation, which dramatically expanded the number of recognized disabilities from 7 to 21 and introduced mandatory accessibility standards across industries, is a testament to India’s progress on the global stage. I played a pivotal role in advocating and drafting for this law. It was my vision that India should be globally at par with the developed nations when it came to empowering its Specially Abled population, and the law, which was framed with this objective, was approved by PMO on the same day when I met with PM Modi on November 28, 2016 in his parliament office.
Another one of the blueprint agenda items was to issue Unique Disability Identification (UDID). It has revolutionized the delivery of services, and welfare benefits by issuing over one crore unique IDs to ensure that benefits reach their intended recipients directly to their bank account.
Perhaps the most heartening examples of Modi's commitment can be seen in his personal engagement with para-athletes. His government established the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Centre for Disability Sports, the country’s first high-tech facility for training specially-abled athletes. His active encouragement of para-athletes has brought international attention to their achievements and capabilities, further highlighting the immense potential within this community.
Modi’s approach has not only been about policy but also about changing the narrative around disability. His call to refer to persons with disabilities as "Divyangjan" (divine bodies) reflects a shift in societal attitudes, urging Indians to view the ABILITY.
VOSAP has acted as a catalyst in raising awareness about the importance of providing assistive devices, but the scale of impact under Modi’s government has been staggering. In the past few years, to harness the potential of Divyangjan, and their ABILITY, the Modi government has distributed far more assistive devices than in the previous 70 years combined.
There are many schemes of Govt of India and VOSAP has stepped in to strengthen one such scheme, NIRAMAYA with launch of Project HITARTH. It brings the NIRAMAYA scheme (healthcare for Intellectually Disabled) to the masses by appointing HITARTH SAHAYAK (social workers) in 31 states.
Looking ahead, the establishment of the University of Disability Studies and Rehabilitation Sciences in Assam promises to be a global hub for education, research, and training in disability studies. Such initiatives demonstrate Modi ji’s long-term vision of creating a fully inclusive and empowered society, where no one is left behind.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, India has set in motion a multifaceted approach to ensure that the Divyangjan community thrives alongside every other citizen in line with his all-encompassing vision of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas: progress for all, with no exceptions but also paved the way for other nations to follow “India Model” of Empowerment, harnessing the ABILITY of Specially Abled People.
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