Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 replaced the earlier Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. It gives effect to India's obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which India ratified in 2007.
- Expanded scope: Recognises 21 categories of disabilities, up from 7 under the 1995 Act. New additions include autism spectrum disorder, specific learning disabilities, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, thalassemia, hemophilia, sickle cell disease, acid attack victims, and dwarfism.
- Benchmark disability: Defined as 40% or more of a specified disability — relevant for reservation entitlements.
- Employment reservation: Section 34 provides 4% reservation in Central Government jobs for persons with benchmark disabilities (1% each for blindness/low vision, hearing impairment, locomotor disability/cerebral palsy/leprosy cured/dwarfism/acid attack victims, and 1% for autism/intellectual disability/specific learning disability/mental illness).
- Education reservation: Section 32 provides 5% reservation in government or government-aided higher educational institutions.
- Prohibition on discrimination: Section 3 prohibits all forms of discrimination on the basis of disability in all spheres.
● Tracked since March 07, 2026 · last seen July 15, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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