The proportion of working age population in India is more than 60 per cent. In 2001 it was 58 per cent. As the discussion of reaping the demographic dividend is going on there is a need to understand not only the reproductive health of this age group but also understand the specific disabilities that this age group has.
As a percentage of total working population there is 2.2 per cent of working population in the country. Among these 2.4 males and 1.8 per cent females are disabled.
Table 1: Percentage of Disabled Working Age Population according to Types of Disabilities
|
Type of Disabilities
|
Persons
|
Male
|
Female
|
|
Total
|
2.2
|
2.4
|
1.8
|
|
Seeing
|
16.6
|
15.7
|
17.7
|
|
Hearing
|
18.1
|
16.9
|
19.8
|
|
Speech
|
8.3
|
8.0
|
8.7
|
|
Movement
|
21.8
|
24.5
|
18.2
|
|
Mental-retardness
|
6.5
|
6.5
|
6.4
|
|
Mental Illness
|
3.5
|
3.5
|
3.4
|
|
|
19
|
18.5
|
19.7
|
|
Multiple disablity
|
6.3
|
6.4
|
6.2
|
Source: Census 2011
The proportion of disabled in the age group of 15-59 is more than 2 per cent. Proportion of persons in the working age group who are disabled in terms of seeing, hearing, movement and any other disabilities are very high. The percentage is among those who are disabled to move. Among males the highest proportion of disabled is in the same category. In the case of females it is in hearing the proportion is high.
Census 2011 shows that proportion of non-workers among disabled persons are around 63 per cent. Males disabled non-workers are 53 per cent and females are 77 per cent.
When we try to get the dividends of the bulging working population we should add the disabled working population also into our attention.
In countries India disabled people are not given much opportunities for education and employment. It is doubt if many are aware about the reservations available to them in getting jobs. The Right of Persons with Disabilities promises to change this situation. Not only giving them employment opportunities the bill also proposes disabled friendly public buildings, modes of transport etc.
