Political parties in their Tamil Nadu Assembly election manifestos have promised increased welfare assistance and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. Activists have raised concerns over implementation gaps and genuine representation.
Political parties contesting the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections have included promises in their manifestos for persons with disabilities, ranging from higher welfare assistance to employment opportunities. Activists have highlighted gaps in these pledges, particularly regarding implementation.
Namburajan, working president of the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), noted that most promises repeat those from previous elections. He praised ideas like dedicated cells in every government medical college hospital but warned of past failures due to insufficient budgets and administrative will. “While such centralised medical boards would provide an immense relief by eliminating the need for multiple hospital visits, the history of unfulfilled promises suggests that without a concrete timeline for implementation, these assuring words risk becoming yet another hollow promise,” he said.
Namburajan criticized the lack of political will to achieve accessibility as required by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, pointing to deficiencies even in government buildings like the Secretariat. Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) has pledged full accessibility in all buildings with ramps, accessible toilets, elevators, and handrails, while major parties DMK and AIADMK omitted such comprehensive reforms.
P. Simmachandran, president of the Tamil Nadu Differently Abled Federation, decried "nominal" appointments to local bodies and called for dedicated quotas similar to those for women and Scheduled Castes and Tribes. DMK MLA N. Ezhilan affirmed plans for legislation ensuring accessibility per the RPwD Act and appointing facilitation officers in 19 government departments. AIADMK MLA R.B. Udhayakumar stated the manifesto followed consultations with disability representatives and readiness to meet further needs.
