Focal Points in Different States & UTs of Govt. of India to address grievances of Persons with Disabilities during COVID19

Dear Colleagues

Government of India has facilitated the following list of Focal Points in different States/ Union Territories to address and attend to the Grievances of Persons with Disabilities during COVID19:

The contact details of the Focal Point at the Central level of Govt. of India is:-

Shri Vikash Prasad
Director
Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities,
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
Room No. 5, B-I Block, Antyodaya Bhawan,
CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi - 110003 (India)
vikash[dot]prasad[at]nic[dot]in

Here are the Contact details of Officers in different States/ UTs of India that have been given in the following order :-

S.Number
Name of State/UT
First Contact Details
Second Contact Details
Third Contact Details

1
Andaman & Nicobar
Ms. Ankita Mishra Bundela
Secretary (Social Welfare Department),
Andaman and Nicobar Administration,
Secretariat, Port Blair-744101
secyship.and@nic.in


2
Andhra Pradesh
Ms. K. Damyanti ,
Principal Secretary,
Social Welfare Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh
9100778087
peshisw1@gmail.com
peshi.wcdsc@gmail.com
M.A.Kumar Raja,
Deputy Director, Welfare of Differently Abled, Transgender & Sr.  Citizens, D.Number.74-14-2, 1st floor, rajanarendra building, Krishna Nagar, yanamalakuduru road, Vijayawada-520 007
94907 20301

3
Arunachal Pradesh
Ms. Niharika Rai
Secretary
Department of Women & Child Development, Social Justice & Empowerment & Tribal Affairs,
Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh,
Itanagar-791111
Mobile No. 8919173853

4
Assam
Shri K J Hilaly
State Commissioner of PwDS
Government of Assam
9435080266
Joint Director
9453182377

5
Bihar
Shri Atul Prasad,
Principal Secretary,
Department of Social Welfare,
Government of Bihar, Patna-800015, Bihar
09431005001
Email: swbihar@gmail.com
secysw-bih@nic.in 

6
Chhattisgarh
Shri Prassna R
Seceratary  social welfare
Govt.of chhattisgarh
94061 00100

7
Delhi
Shri Santosh Kumar Section officer
 Office of State commissioner PwDs, GNCT of Delhi
 85270 77845
Dr. A. Madhavi
DD disabilities
Deptt of Social welfare
GNCTD
9013270156
Sh. Nitish Mohan Tripathi
State Coordinator UDID project
9873936472

8
Goa
Shri S. K. Bhandari ,
Secretary,
Department of Social Welfare,
Government of Goa,
Porvorim-4035211,
Goa.
Mobile No. 9643335576
Email Id:- socialwelfaregoa@rediffmail.com
Shri Santano Fernandes
Deputy State Commissoner of Persons with Disabilities, Govt. of Goa
98814 35463

9
Gujarat
Shri MaNumberj Aggarwal
Principal Secretary,
Department of Social Justice & Empowerment,
Govt. of Gujarat,
Sardar Patel Bhawan, Block-5, 9th floor, Sachivalaya,
Gandhinagar-382010
Email: secswd@gujarat.gov.in
Mobile: 09978444105
Shri Dina Nath Pandey
State Commissoner of Persons with Disabilities, Govt. of Gujarat
9978406491

10
Haryana
Shri Dinesh Shastri
State Commissioner of Persons with Dsiabilities, Govt. of Haryana
Mobile Number:- 90500 80529


11
Jharkhand
Dr. Amitabh Kaushal,
Secretary,
Department of Women Child Development & Social Security,
Govt. of Jharkhand,
Room Number.304, Project Building, Dhurwa
Ranchi-834004,
Jharkhand.
Email: swdjharkhand@gmail.com
Mob: 09430119083
Shri Satish Chandra
State Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities
94312 71428

12
Kerala
Shri Biju Prabhakar
Special Secretary,
Social Justice Department,
Government of Kerala,
Mob: 9447035355
E-mail: sjsecykerala@gmail.com
Dr. G. Harikumar
State Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities, Govt. of Kerala
9447743797

13
Madhya Pradesh
Shri Sandeep Rajak
State Commissioner of PwDs
9425139344
Shri Sunil Sharma
Assistant Director
9752405244

14
Maharashtra
Prerna Deshbratar
State Commissioner, Disabilities, Maharashtra State, Govt. of Maharashtra, 3, Church Road. Pune – 411 001


15
Manipur
Shri. V. Vumlunmang
Principal Secretary, Social welfare and Health
Govt. of Manipur,
Imphal, Manipur.
Mobile- 09436034934
Email: jacinthalazarus@gmail.com
Shri. L. Dhaneshwor Singh
Child Welfare Officer
Social Welfare Department
Mobile Number:- 94360 27993

16
Meghalaya
Shri Sanjeet K Seal,
State Numberdal Officer,
UDID Project, Meghalaya
Mobile Number: 9436101358
Smti Bridget Warshong,
Asst Commissioner for PwDs, Govt of Meghalaya
Mobile Number: +919863086563
Shri Dylan Robby Syiem
State Coordinator UDID Project, Meghalaya
Mobile Number: 8415927160

17
Mizoram
Smt. Marli Vankung
Secretary,
Department of Social Welfare,
Govt. of Mizoram, Aizwal, Mizoram.
Mobile: 09436155461
Office : 0389 - 2318212
Email: socdepmiz@gmail.com
Dr. Ankita Chakravarty, IAS
Director
Social Welfare & Tribal Affairs
Social Welfare Department
Govt. of Mizoram
Mobile : 08289008855
Office : 0389 - 2395044
Email : Mizoramswd@gmail.com
Shri. F.Vanlalruata
State Coordinator, UDID Project
Mizoram
Mobile : 8974144424
Email : Mizoramswd@gmail.com

18
Nagaland
Smti Sarah. R. Ritse
Secretary,
Department of Social Welfare,
Govt. of Nagaland,
Kohima-797004.
Ms Diethono Nakhro
State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Govt. of Nagaland
Mobile Number:- 8258953837
Email Id :-

19
Odisha
Shri Bhaskar Jyoti Sharma
Principal Secretary,
Department of Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities,
Government of Odisha,
SIDR Building, Capital Hospital Campus, Unit-6,
Bhubaneshwar-751001
Odisha.
Ms. Sulochna Das
State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Govt. of Odisha
Mobile Number:- 98610 80699

20
Puducherry
Shri.Ashokan.S
The Director,
Department of Social Welfare/Department of Women and Child Development,
Puducherry
Mobile Number:9443635370
Smti. Kalavady.D,
The Deputy Director
Numberdal Officer(COVID 2019)
Department of Social Welfare
Puducherry
Mobile Number: 9600219478
Smti. Kamalakumari V
The Superintendent(Establishment),
Staff Incharge(COVID 2019),
Department of Social Welfare,
Puducherry
Mobile Number:8637466067

21
Punjab
Shri Davinder Singh
Superintendent, O/O Director Social Security, Punjab
Mobile Number: 9888880363
Shri Gagandeep Shahi
State Coordinator , UDID, Punjab
Mobile Number: 9876377800
COVID 19:
The Department of Social Security and Women and Child Development ,Punjab has set up helpline service exclusively Persons with Hearing and Speech difficulties. They can use  the following WhatsApp Video Calling Helpline number to converse in Indian sign language:-
9888176357 ( Nitesh Sharma)
T&C
*Only Hearing/ speech  impaired Individuals Can Call .
*Plan your calls and Inform The Interpreter Before any Visit To the Doctor.
*Use Videocall During 9 am to 6 pm.
*Calls Between 10pm to 8 am are only for Emergency.
*Remember-Interpreters are not”Medical-Experts”

22
Rajasthan
Shri B.P Chandel
Deputy Director
Directorate of Specially Abled Persons, Rajasthan
Mobile number: +91 99283 09095

23
Sikkim
Shri K. Srineevasulu,
Principal Secretary
Social Justice, Empowerment & Welfare Department,
Govt. of Sikkim,
Samaj Kalyan Bhawan,
Lumsey, 5th Mile,
Gangtok-737102,
Sikkim.
Mobile No. 8919173853
Email: yangchenbhutia63@gmail.com

24
Tamil Nadu
Shri C. Vijayaraj Kumar
Secretary,
Department of Welfare of Differently Abled Persons
Govt. of Tamil Nadu,
Chennai-600078
Tamil Nadu.
Email: secywdap@tn.gov.in
Mobile Number : 0950037711
Thiru. Johny Tom Vargease I. A. S
State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities/ Director for Welfare of the Differently Abled
Email. Scd.tn@gmail.com
Mobile. +918800656753
Corona Virus 24X7 Helpline for Persons with Disabilities & Senior Citizens 18004250111 (Toll Free) WhatsApp & Video Call Helpline for Persons with Hearing and Speech Impairments to communicate with Sign Language Interpreters 9700799993

25
Telangana
Shri M. Jagadeeswar
Principal Secretary,
Department of Women & Child Welfare & Disabled Welfare,
Government of Telagana,
Hyderabad.
Mobile: 09849792093
Email: wcdsctg2014@gmail.com
Ms. Shailaja
Director and State Commissioner of PwDs
Department of Women & Child Welfare & Disabled Welfare,
Government of Telagana,
Hyderabad.
Mobile: 98499 05475
Email: wcdsctg2014@gmail.com

26
Tripura
Dr Deep Kumar Debbarma
State Surveillance Officer
7005513426, 9862670872
Shri Anant Das
(Superintendent of Police): 9436949241, 9612150583

27
Uttar Pradesh
Shri Mahesh Kumar Gupta
Addl. Chief Secretary,
Department of Disabled Welfare,
Govt. of Uttar Pradesh,
Room No.732, 7th Floor,
Bhapu Bhawan, Sachivalaya,
Lucknow-226001, Uttar Pradesh
Mobile Number: 09161737373
Email: psred2016@gmail.com
Shri S. K Shrivastav
State Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities, Uttar Pradesh
Mobile Number:- 95999 14539

28
Uttarakhand
Major Yogendra Yadav
State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities,
Govt. of Uttarakhand
Mobile. 99105 61116

29
West Bengal
Control Room 1070.            

033-22143526
 
30
Karnataka
Shri Basavaraju V S

State commissioner for Persons with Disabilities 

Mobile number +919449869430

Polling Stations without lift can only use ground floor for assembly elections in Mumbai

In a bid to ensure accessibility during the forthcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra, it has been decided that all polling stations will be on ground floor if there’s no lift, reports Times of India.

For the first time an assembly election will have all polling booths on the ground floor if the building does not have working lifts. Taxis and buses will also be arranged by the election commission to ferry the elderly, ailing or disabled voters. “Accessibility will be the main feature of this election and the administration is braced to achieve it,” city district collector Shivaji Jondhale and suburban collector Milind Borikar, who are also the district election officers, said in a public interaction organised by Together VCAN, a social forum.

Farog Mukadam, deputy election officer, said the city and suburbs had 2,540 and 7,395 polling stations and only 104 of these in the city and 450 in the suburbs had permission to operate from the first, second and third floors as these had functional lifts. There would also be ramps for voters moving on wheel-chairs. While city has around 5.5 lakh voters above the age of 60, the suburban district has approximately over 20 lakh senior citizens. The collectors said that at stations where rooms were not available on the ground floor, pandals would be erected to create polling booths.

There are around 2,600 persons with disabilities in the city district and around 5,500 in the suburban district. The city and suburbs have a target of achieving a minimum of 60% voting against the 53% and 57% achieved in the recent Lok Sabha polls.

“We have around 14 wheelchair-mounted vehicles donated by VCAN, a social forum and six buses in the city to cater to disabled and elderly voters. In the suburbs, around 100 buses will arrange transport for them. Over and above this, 360 and 1,200 taxis each in city and suburbs will help in arranging transport for such voters on behalf of the election commission,” Mukadam said. 

Source: Times of India

Two months after ‘opening’, Basant Lok market still a patchwork of repairs

Ms. Vibha Sharma | TNN  | May 16, 2019

NEW DELHI: The revamped Basant Lok Market in south Delhi was inaugurated on March 5. And yet, there is hardly a sense of things being all right there. The parking area is yet to be tiled, the two entrances opposite Munirka Marg haven’t been refurbished, the lanes at the back aren’t finished and neither the installing of the tensile umbrella at the open amphitheatre and the fire hydrants nor the construction of the toilet block have been done.

Five days before the model code of conduct kicked in after the announcement of the general elections two months ago, Union minister for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri had inaugurated the so-called restored market. The shop owners today claim that progress on the project slowed down after that, leaving over 25% of the planned work pending.

The revamp work began in September 2018 and Delhi Development Authority was to have finished the project by March 2019. “DDA did construct an amphitheatre, reorganised the public spaces and put in tree guards and steel benches, while also providing pedestrian connectivity with Vasant Vihar metro station,” a shop owner said, requesting anonymity. “But the internal lanes next to the PVR complex remain dug up. Likewise, the water tank hasn’t been done nor the surfacing of the parking lot near Munirka Marg.”

Traders also alleged compromises in the quality of work and the non-inclusion of features such as disabled-friendly aids. “The tactile paving and the granite stones have already started eroding, and the construction debris still lying around, giving the market a shoddy look,” grumbled a trader.

A DDA official refuted the allegations. “It’s not true that the pace of work slowed down after the inauguration. In fact, we are making all effort to ensure quality of construction,” he said. “It will take us 3-4 months more to take care of the pending work.  The tensile umbrella, for instance, is 14 metres high and heavy and needs a proper base. That’s why we had to conduct a soil test before its designing and fabrication.”

The official also claimed to have earmarked space for vendors relocated from the main pathways and provided water connection from the tank to the hydrants. “The market, once revamped, will be the first fire-compliant commercial complex in Delhi,” he said.

The official also said that provisions for ramps were made at three places in market after inviting an NGO for to give suggestions for making the market place disabled-friendly. Svayam, the NGO working for uplift of persons with disabilities, however, isn’t happy. Its director Subhash Chandra Vashishth said, “Contrary to its plan for ramps at eight of the 10 entrances, we saw ramps only a couple of locations when we visited the market in March. Also, the verandah outside shops is uneven and could hamper movement of the disabled.”

Vashishth added that Svayam filed complaints about the “irregularities in the project plan” with minister Puri, lieutenant governor Anil Baijal and the chief commissioner for persons with disability. “The court has also taken cognizance of the matter and issued a show cause notice to DDA,” said Vashishth.

The market, constructed in the 1970s, was a popular shopping complex but lost out to the multiplexes and malls that came up in its vicinity. Neglected maintenance and decaying infrastructure led outlets of major brands to down shutters and migrate to the malls at Vasant Kunj and Saket. “In 2008, a newly formed traders’association took up the matter of the market’s restoration problems to the lieutenant governor, and finally Rs 10 crore was allocation for the project,” a shopkeeper disclosed.

Source: Times of India 

In Delhi, making elections accessible for the differently-abled

Ms. Vangmayi Parakala | The Hindu | May 10, 2019 

On voting day on Sunday, Svayam offers mobility solutions to the disabled across the city. 

“The fight is tight. Each vote matters,” says Sminu Jindal, reiterating the messaging we’ve all heard many times almost every election season. But this year, she’s attempted to follow through on this. Her organisation, Svayam, has partnered with NGOs in Delhi’s South, West, and South-West constituencies to ensure that people with mobility problems aren’t hindered from exercising their franchise.

Access for all
“Accessibility isn’t and shouldn’t be a concern only for disability rights activists,” Jindal stresses adding that you needn’t be elderly or disabled to benefit from better thought-out public transportation and spaces: you can be a young athlete who’s injured and on a wheelchair, or you can be in the last trimester of your pregnancy.

Polling is usually held in government buildings like the local municipal school, meaning that by law, these will be accessible spaces, with at least the basic provision of ramps. The problem though, is in getting to these booths.

Through its partner organisations, Svayam has deputed wheelchair-friendly vans that will shuttle people to and from their voting booths, should they need them. In 2017, the organisation had already donated 10 such vans to different NGOs across the country. Of these, four vans have stayed in the city, with Astha, Muskaan, Family of Disabled, and Yes We Can. This year, they’ve added two new vans to this existing entourage, also working with the Election Commission of India to ensure that booths have what the polling body calls “Assured Minimum Facilities.”

Key partnership
After surviving a crash that left her paralysed from the wasit down when she was 11 years old, Jindal has been an active advocate for accessibility. She calls the government Svayam’s “most important partner,” recalling a two-decade-old association through which they’ve partnered and consulted on projects. This includes regular audits, training, and design interventions at various sites.

Starting 2006, they worked with the Archaeological Survey of India to make heritage sites like the Qutub Minar, Fatehpur Sikri and the Taj Mahal friendly for tourists with reduced mobility. Later, they were a part of the core committee set up to harmonise construction standards for the elderly and disabled. Today, they routinely conduct sensitisation and training sessions with staff at the Delhi International Airport Limited.

But it was in June 2018 that the Election Commission of India invited Svayam to be a partner on the National Consultation on Accessible Elections, stating that this “will pave the way for evolving the National Policy document on Inclusion of PwDs [Persons with Disabilities] in Electoral Process.” Svayam specifically made 20 recommendations at this meet, including the need to allow service animals and guide dogs to enter booths.

“The ECI has been very positive this time. The only major challenge is to standardise these guidelines across the country,” says Subhash Chandra Vashishth, Director of Svayam, adding that close to 13 pointers in their recommendations have been accepted and implemented this year.

Source: The Hindu

American Firm to pay $100,000 to Ashok Pai, an Indian-origin employee over Discrimination Lawsuit

New Delhi, 4th July 2018

Here is an important case law from USA wherein an American firm will end up paying $100,000 (One lac US Dollars) to settle a discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of an Indian-origin employee, the agency said on July 2. 

Federal contractor Camber Corporation was accused of violating federal law when it denied a transfer to employee Mr. Ashok Pai based on his son's medical condition and then fired him.  Such alleged behaviour violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the EEOC said in its suit. Besides a $100,000 award for lost wages, the two-year decree entered by U.S. District Court Judge Anthony J. Trenga to resolve the case includes injunctive relief to prevent disability and age discrimination from occurring at the company in the future.

According to the EEOC, Pai's son sustained serious injuries in a car accident as a child, due to which he has been disabled for more than 25 years. Pai sought a transfer to work nearer to where his son lived and requested leave to assist with his care. However, after the management learned that Pai was seeking a transfer to take care of his son, Camber classified him as "resigned," began processing termination paperwork and ultimately fired him for pretextual reasons, the EEOC said. Pai, who was then in his mid-60s, was subsequently replaced by someone over 20 years younger than him.

Camber Corporation is headquartered in Huntsville, Ala. The discrimination against Pai took place in Falls Church, Va., where he worked. The EEOC filed its suit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

"When employers violate the law, the EEOC will hold them accountable. We are pleased that the parties were able to reach a resolution to better protect the rights of employees under federal law," EEOC regional attorney Debra M. Lawrence said in a statement.

"The ADA not only prohibits employers from discriminating against people with disabilities, it also bans discrimination against employees and applicants based on their association with a person with a disability - for good reasons," Washington Field Office Acting Director Mindy Weinstein said. "Mr. Pai simply asked for a transfer to help deal with his son's severe disability, and the company made a bad situation worse by punishing him for trying to do the right thing and showing age bias at the same time. The EEOC is here to fight for the rights of people like Ashok Pai."

Other Media Reports:

1. NDTV 

2. Little India dot com

3. The Telegraph