About the Report
Center for Inclusive Policy’s (CIP) fifth annual disability rights analysis of India’s Union Budget examines whether the 2026-27 allocations support implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act. Findings show that overall commitments still fall short of the systemic reforms required. Implementing the Act demands cross-sectoral recognition and structural change, yet current allocations remain insufficient to meet national and international obligations.
Getting a mention in the budget speech is not the same as getting the resources to match. That’s the core finding of the Center for Inclusive Policy (CIP)’s fifth consecutive review of India’s Union Budget, this year looking at the 2026-27 allocations through the lens of persons with disabilities. The Budget Speech named persons with disabilities directly, one of the few times this has happened since the 2016 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, but the numbers behind that mention tell a more familiar story.
What Did the Budget Get Right?
Two commitments stood out. The government pledged long-term investment in employment and skill development, targeting 20,000 people over the next five years, backed by ₹200 crore for 2026-27. It also introduced a new line item, “Divyang Sahar Yojana”, for assistive devices and technology, alongside increased allocations to ADIP and ALIMCO.
What Got Left Out?
The list of overlooked demands is longer. Cash transfer programs for persons with disabilities remain frozen at ₹300 per person per month, even as actual 2024-25 spending came in nearly ₹46 crore below budget estimates. There’s still no specific commitment for women with disabilities, no real investment in disability data collection, and a cut to SIPDA, one of the government’s main accessibility funding streams. Social audits and full participation in planning remain missing too.
The Numbers Behind the Speech
Specific allocations to persons with disabilities have barely moved in years, sitting at roughly 0.007% to 0.008% of GDP since 2019-20. For 2026-27, that figure rose slightly, from 0.0072% to 0.0076% of GDP. But the total remains small enough that no amount of speech-level recognition can change what it funds in practice. The Department for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities also shows a pattern worth noting: budget estimates routinely outpace what actually gets spent, with underutilisation rates as high as 73% in some years.
A Missing Cross-Sectoral Agenda
Several budget announcements, on care services, women’s income support, health, education, and infrastructure, are directly relevant to persons with disabilities. But none specify how these programs will actually respond to disability-related needs. As India approaches the tenth anniversary of the RPD Act, a genuine cross-sectoral agenda for ensuring rights of persons with disabilities in budgets still doesn’t exist. Instead, ambitions stay boxed into a limited ₹300 crore line item, even as the country pursues its broader “Viksit Bharat” development goals.
The Bottom Line
Fully implementing the RPD Act requires more than incremental additions to existing schemes. It calls for structural reform, cross-sectoral recognition, and a decisive move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to disability inclusion. The 2026-27 budget, CIP argues, still falls short of what national law and international commitments require.
