Disabled Rights Platform Calls Union Budget ‘Exclusionary’

The Union Budget was referred to as "exclusionary" by the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) on Sunday. It further stated that the programs announced for "divyangs," including one for skill training, are just another iteration of ineffective programs that have failed to create jobs for disabled people.

In a statement, the NPRD said drastic reductions in allocations to key central schemes, education, health, rural development and agriculture have severe consequences for disabled persons and their families.

"The Union Budget 2026-“27 continues the exclusionary trajectory of the Modi government in its third term, reflecting a clear pro-corporate and pro-rich bias that deepens inequality and marginalisation. For persons with disabilities, this budget represents not neglect but an active denial of rights," the NPRD said.

It said under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, the Indian State is legally obligated to ensure equality, non-discrimination and full participation of persons with disabilities.

"Though a slight increase is there in the total allocations to the Department of Empowerment for Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), the increase will go mainly to the two new schemes that have been announced.

"Allocations continue to hover around a paltry 0.0286 per cent of the total budget allocations, which is around 0.008 per cent of the GDP," it said.

On Sunday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Divyangjan Kaushal Yojana for job training and skill development, as well as the Divyang Sahara Yojana to assist the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) in increasing the production of assistive devices, investing in R&D and AI integration, strengthening PM Divyasha Kendras, and supporting the establishment of Assistive Technology Marts as contemporary retail-style facilities where "divyangjans" and senior citizens can view, test, and buy assistive products.

"The so-called Divyangjan Kaushal Yojana is merely another iteration of ineffective skill-training schemes that have failed to generate employment for disabled persons. Funds largely flow to training agencies, with little evidence of meaningful skill development or job placement," the NPRD said.

"Similarly, the Divyangjan Sahara Yojana offers nothing new; it is a repackaging of budgetary support to ALIMCO for manufacturing aids and assistive devices, which this government itself had withdrawn earlier. What is of concern, however, is the reduction in support to the Scheme for Implementation of Persons with Disabilities Act," it said.

It said drastic reductions in allocations to key central schemes, education, health, rural development and agriculture ”have severe consequences for disabled persons and their families.

"These cuts translate into inaccessible schools, unaffordable healthcare, hunger, unsafe housing, and livelihood insecurity. Reductions in food and agriculture support hit rural disabled persons particularly hard, where disability and poverty intersect most sharply. Notably, there has been no enhancement in the Indira Gandhi Disability Pension Scheme, which remains frozen at Rs 300 per month since 2012," it said.

"Capital expenditure cuts have stalled investments in accessible infrastructure, transport, and assistive technologies' ”areas mandated under the RPwD Act. Accessibility cannot be a casualty of austerity," it added.

The NPRD further said that for disabled people, "fiscal discipline" invoked by the finance minister translates to shrinking welfare, weakening public services and rising costs of survival.

"A budget that violates disability rights and entrenches inequality is unacceptable. We demand reversal of expenditure cuts, enhanced allocations for RPwD Act implementation, universal inflation-indexed disability pensions, investment in accessibility and assistive technologies, and progressive taxation to fund rights," it added.