Question
Which of the following statements with regard to persons with disabilities in India is/are correct?
1The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, an Act passed by the Parliament of India in 2018, mandates reservation in education and employment, places a legal duty on Governments to ensure accessibility and non-discrimination.
2The Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan focuses on achieving universal accessibility for Persons with Disabilities across three key domains — built infrastructure, transport systems and information and communication technology.
3The National Divyangjan Finance and Development Corporation (NDFDC) is a public sector organisation set up by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs as a not-for-profit company to promote entrepreneurship among PwDs.
A1 and 2
B2 only ✓
C1 and 3
D1 only
Each Statement — Where the Error Lies
1
✗ Wrong year — 2016, not 2018
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act — passed in 2018
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act was passed in 2016 — not 2018. It received Presidential assent on 27 December 2016 and came into force on 19 April 2017.Everything else in Statement 1 is correct:
• Mandates 5% reservation in government educational institutions for PwDs ✓
• Mandates 4% reservation in government jobs for PwDs ✓
• Places legal duty on governments to ensure accessibility and non-discrimination ✓
• Expanded list of disabilities from 7 to 21 categories ✓
But the single wrong year (2018 instead of 2016) invalidates the entire statement.
✗ RPwD Act = 2016, NOT 2018
Passed: 27 December 2016 · In force: 19 April 2017 · Expanded disabilities: 7 → 21 · Reservation: 5% education + 4% jobs
2
✓ Correct — all three domains confirmed
Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan — three domains: built infrastructure, transport, ICT
Fully correct. The Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan (Accessible India Campaign) was launched on 3 December 2015 (International Day of Persons with Disabilities) by PM Modi, under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.Three key domains — all correctly stated:
Built Environment / Infrastructure
Transport Systems
Information & Communication Technology (ICT)
✓ Launched 3 December 2015 · DEPwD · MoSJE
Built infrastructure + Transport + ICT = three exact domains. Statement 2 is verbatim correct.
3
✗ Wrong ministry — Social Justice, not Corporate Affairs
NDFDC — set up by Ministry of Corporate Affairs
The NDFDC was set up under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment — NOT the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. This is the same ministry that oversees all PwD-related schemes in India.What is correct in Statement 3:
• NDFDC is a public sector organisation ✓
• It is a not-for-profit company (registered under Section 8 of Companies Act 2013) ✓
• It promotes entrepreneurship and financial inclusion among PwDs ✓
• It provides loans, skill development, and training ✓
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has no mandate over disability welfare programmes. That ministry oversees company law, corporate governance, and insolvency. Disability welfare = Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment exclusively.
✗ NDFDC = Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
NOT Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Section 8 company (not-for-profit) · Loans + skill development for PwDs · Under DEPwD
PwD Framework in India — Key Facts for UPSC
| Scheme/Act | Key Facts |
| RPwD Act — year trap | Passed: 2016 (NOT 2018) · Presidential assent: 27 Dec 2016 · In force: 19 April 2017 · Replaced 1995 Act · Disabilities: 7 → 21 |
| RPwD Act — provisions | 4% reservation in govt jobs · 5% in govt educational institutions · Legal duty for accessibility + non-discrimination · Guardianship → limited guardianship |
| Sugamya Bharat ✓ | Launched: 3 Dec 2015 · Three domains: Built environment + Transport + ICT · Under DEPwD, MoSJE · Targets: ramps, lifts, accessible websites, accessible transport |
| NDFDC — ministry trap | Under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (NOT Corporate Affairs) · Section 8 not-for-profit company · Loans, skill development, training for PwDs |
| UNCRPD | UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities — India ratified in 2007 · RPwD Act 2016 enacted to comply with UNCRPD |
| DEPwD | Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities · Under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment · Nodal body for all PwD schemes |
| 21 disabilities | RPwD Act expanded categories to include: blindness, low vision, leprosy cured, hearing impairment, locomotor disability, dwarfism, intellectual disability, mental illness, autism, cerebral palsy, specific learning disabilities, and more |
Memory Trick
🧠 Remember the Two Traps
Statement 1 trap — year: RPwD Act = 2016. Not 2014, not 2017, not 2018. Easy hook: India ratified UNCRPD in 2007, RPwD Act came a decade later in 2016 to align domestic law with the Convention.
Statement 3 trap — ministry: Everything related to PwDs = Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. NDFDC, DEPwD, Sugamya Bharat — all under MoSJE. Ministry of Corporate Affairs = company law, corporate governance, insolvency. No connection to disability welfare whatsoever.
Sugamya Bharat three domains — B-T-I: Built environment · Transport · ICT. “BTI” — “Better Today India.” Launched on 3 December (International Day of PwDs, 2015).
