About the report
Published in August 2021, the report updates CIP’s 2020 study “Too Little too Few,” and was endorsed by 14 disability rights organisations across India, including ASTHA, the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled, and the Tamil Nadu Disability Federation Charitable Trust.
Did India’s social protection system actually adapt when the pandemic hit hardest? This report on social protection for persons with disabilities and COVID-19, produced with technical support from the Center for Inclusive Policy (CIP), asks that question directly, and the answer, drawn from a review of budget documents across 36 states and union territories, is mostly no.
Did the Union Government Announce Any Specific Measures?
Just one: a mandate that states issue disability ID cards online, introduced without addressing the accessibility barriers, assessment backlogs, or digital divide that made getting a card difficult in the first place. Beyond that, persons with disabilities were left to rely on general relief measures, like free food grain distribution, that weren’t designed with their needs in mind.
Did Cash Transfer Programs Actually Expand?
Barely, and rarely with money behind it. Of the 36 states and union territories, 13 mentioned persons with disabilities in their 2021-22 budget speeches, but only 8 referenced cash transfers specifically. Five states proposed vertical or horizontal expansion of benefits, yet in four of those five, actual budget allocations stayed flat or declined compared to the previous two years. Only Maharashtra introduced a one-off pandemic-specific payment for persons with disabilities in 2021-22.
How Much Do These Programs Actually Pay?
Not much. The national disability pension, part of the Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension scheme, sat at roughly $0.13 a day and reached only about 10% of the eligible working-age population. Just 3 of the 36 states and union territories offered a disability benefit reaching even 70% of the international poverty line of $1.90 a day.
What About Healthcare and Vaccination?
The Union Government issued accessibility guidelines for health services early in the pandemic, but with no monitoring or enforcement mechanism attached. Progress on priority vaccination came almost entirely from legal pressure: organisations of persons with disabilities filed public interest litigation in Chennai, Karnataka, Delhi, and Maharashtra to force states to prioritise vaccination and accessible vaccination sites.
Did the Government Respond to What OPDs Asked For?
Organizations of Persons with Disabilities had specific, concrete demands: raise benefits to at least Rs. 5,000 a month, remove income ceilings, issue temporary local certificates so people could access relief quickly, fund community-based rehabilitation, and consult OPDs directly in policy design. On nearly every one of these, the report found no meaningful government response, at either the Union or state level.
