Monday, November 1, 2010

Task force set up to push for more universal design in India

From IANS:


NEW DELHI, India -- A task force has been set up to work out details for a national centre to facilitate and support development of a barrier-free environment in public buildings, an official said Friday.

The task force headed by Samir K. Brahmachari, director general of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), will work out the establishment of the proposed National Centre for Universal Design and Barrier-free Environment (NCUDBE), said the official from the social justice and empowerment ministry.

The centre was envisaged in the Eleventh Five Year Plan.

'The task force has been mandated to examine in detail the need for setting up of NCUDBE, its structure, possible role and functions, its scope in the research and development in the area, implementation modalities and its manpower and financial requirement,' the official said.

The establishment of such a centre is also obligatory under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to which India is a signatory.