Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act)
The RPwD Act, 2016 replaced the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. It significantly expanded the definition of disability, brought Indian law in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD, which India ratified in 2007), and increased the number of recognised disabilities from 7 to 21.
- 21 categories of disability listed in the Schedule, including: blindness, low vision, leprosy cured persons, hearing impairment, locomotor disability, dwarfism, intellectual disability, mental illness, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions, specific learning disabilities, multiple sclerosis, speech and language disability, thalassemia, hemophilia, sickle cell disease, multiple disabilities including deaf-blindness, and acid attack victims
- Acid attack victims are defined in the Schedule as "a person disfigured due to violent assaults by throwing of acid or similar corrosive substance"
- Section 34: 4% reservation in government jobs for persons with benchmark disabilities (40% or more disability)
- Section 16: Inclusive education in institutions funded/recognised by government
- Acid attack victims classified under the broader category of "locomotor disability" (clause (c) of Section 2(s))
- Central Government empowered to add to the Schedule by notification (Section 56)
● Tracked since February 11, 2026 · last seen April 09, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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