Equality of Treatment for Persons with Disabilities

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Experts are asking for a complete change in how India supports disabled citizens by setting up a single nationwide pension system.
Even though Digital India Mission, Aadhaar-enabled Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT), and UPI have made India a global digital leader, disabled citizens are still left out of these benefits.

Moving disability pensions from a simple act of government charity to a legal right of every citizen helps fulfill important constitutional goals.
Article 41 of the Constitution tells the government to provide public help to citizens who are facing unemployment, old age, sickness, or disability.
Section 24 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 gives a legal guarantee of proper social security and fair pension benefits.
The Supreme Court of India states that the right to live with dignity is a key part of the fundamental Right to Life under Article 21.

While the 2011 Census counted 2.68 crore disabled people, changing health trends and population growth mean current estimates range between 4.5 crore and 6 crore citizens.
India spends just 0.02% of its GDP on disability welfare, while other nations spend much more, such as South Africa at 0.12% to 0.15%, Australia at 0.35% to 0.40%, Brazil at 0.45% to 0.50%, and OECD nations at an average of 2.2% of GDP.
The central Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme reaches only a very small number of people, with local state pensions paying a tiny ₹300 to ₹500 per month in most areas.
Pro Bono Economics in 2025 points out that the social returns of these pensions are nearly 48% higher than their costs, creating economic multipliers of 1.4 to 1.6.

A citizen's basic survival should not depend on local state budgets or changing political decisions, which makes a nationwide minimum baseline essential.
Leaving disabled people out of social security and jobs causes low and middle-income countries to lose an estimated 3% to 7% of their total GDP.
Combining basic pensions with job help allows disabled citizens to move from just surviving to becoming active workers.
Setting up a strong pension network supports global goals like Article 28 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ILO Recommendation No. 202, and the G-20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration.

Responsibility is split between the Ministry of Rural Development and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, which causes administrative delays and confusion.
Spending on disability welfare is extremely low compared to other major national costs like food subsidies at ₹2.05 lakh crore or infrastructure at ₹11.11 lakh crore.
Current job incentive programs are weak and lack strong tax breaks or wage subsidies used in other countries.
Complex and non-portable registration systems trap vulnerable citizens in endless red tape, keeping them away from modern welfare benefits.

Introduce a national baseline pension, such as ₹8,000 per month for 40 lakh beneficiaries costing 0.08% of GDP or ₹10,000 for 65 lakh beneficiaries costing 0.08% to 0.2% of GDP.
Bring operations under a single independent body like South Africa’s SASSA or Australia’s NDIA to handle unified records and digital integration.
Upgrade job incentive schemes by giving corporate tax breaks and wage subsidies like the UK’s Access to Work program.
Expand grassroots programs like PM-DAKSH and the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) to connect welfare support directly to jobs.
Use India’s direct benefit transfer system to send pensions straight to beneficiaries without regional delays.