Decks cleared for inclusion of disabled in census

Shourie expressed surprise that the questions included old age and even vegetarianism and details like the type of meat preferred by citizens (duck, hen, fish, egg). “You will count chicken heads and duck heads and not the disabled,” an agitated Shourie is said to have said at the meeting which was attended by some disability groups, Census Commissioner J K Banthia, L K Advani and Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Maneka Gandhi.

He said that he himself had a disabled child and so had one of the officials present at the meeting and there was no explanation that they could give for non inclusion of the disabled in the census.

Shourie whose ministry is in charge of the National Sample Survey organisation, referred to the sample survey that has been proposed for the disabled, and said that a sample survey can never be a substitute for census.

Maneka Gandhi threw her weight behind the disabled and said that her ministry would do everything possible to create awareness among the disabled about the need to cooperate with the census. One of the objections to including the disabled in the census was that they would find questions on disability offensive.

Banthia, listing the difficulties in including disability in the census had earlier said that independent India’s only census in 1981 had been a failure as it got a very low figure which was criticised. He also said that enumerators would need special training and that people are likely to shut their doors on enumerators if they asked questions on disability.

However disability groups explained that the mistake in the previous census could be rectified. The previous census got low figures as it had divided disability into categories like “totally crippled, totally dumb and totally blind” whereas such total disability was a rare thing to find. Hence they suggested better phrasing of questions and also ruled out the need for any special training for enumerators for a mere two additional questions.

The representatives from disability groups included Colonel Cordoza and Vandana Bedi of Spastic Society of Northern India, Javed Abidi and Madhumita of the Disability Rights Group.

The groups will meet with Shourie and Gandhi to decide on the details of the issue. Speaking to The Indian Express these groups said that the proposal would be submitted to Advani and they would not celebrate till it got its final approval.