Creating a fully inclusive and accessible India will require behavioural changes, capacity building, investments in accessible infrastructure and inclusive and accessible innovations. This will help inform policies and systems for the country's progress towards an equitable urban future.
Persons with disabilities face many challenges in participating fully in urban life. An enabling environment, with inclusive infrastructure, is needed to allow them the same opportunities to enjoy cultural, economic, and social life as non-disabled persons. This includes things many of us take for granted, like the freedom to move independently and access places of work, education and sports.
Take, for instance, Manasi Joshi, a para-badminton player, who underwent a double leg amputation following a road accident at age 22. Her strong will and determination were complemented by an accessible built environment and the availability of assistive technology. These not only helped her overcome obstacles she faced in everyday tasks, but also encouraged her to realise her dream of playing professional badminton, which she now competes in at the highest international level. While everyone cannot be a world champion, removing barriers can give us all the chance to reach our full potential.
Two mega-trends make the need for inclusive cities increasingly urgent. First, India is urbanising rapidly and is projected to add four new megacities by 2030. The country’s urban population is estimated to cross 675 million. According to the 2011 Census, one in three persons with disabilities in India or roughly eight million people already live in cities. Second, the number of persons with recognised disabilities as a share of the population could rise due to disaster and climate risks, demographic changes and broader definitions of disability in line with global norms.
One powerful solution to these challenges lies in innovative technology and ICT. These are key to ensuring an inclusive urban transformation and essential for improving and increasing the quality of life of all citizens. Nowhere is this more evident than in India, where a world-class digital governance system and dynamic tech sector are converging to deliver inclusive prosperity and resilience. This spirit of solidarity and inclusivity is reflected in India’s G20 presidency theme of One Earth, One Family and One Future.
Innovations that promote inclusivity are often perceived as unprofitable by investors. Here, the role of the state becomes critical for promoting an ecosystem for transformative technologies, especially where the return on investment may be difficult to measure.
To enhance the ecosystem for assistive technology and inclusive solutions, the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in partnership with the UN in India hosted the first edition of the Smart Solutions Challenge and Inclusive Cities Awards in 2022. It helped in crowd-sourcing tech-based solutions and innovations for addressing city-level accessibility and inclusion challenges.
Smart cities like Bhubaneswar have deployed innovative transport and mobility solutions, showcasing how technology is being leveraged by cities to improve the lives of vulnerable communities. Several solutions and assistive technologies such as Fifth Sense, IncluMaps, AxcessAble and myUDAAN are supporting independent living for persons with disabilities. Initiatives like these and many others have the potential to help cities localise innovations for inclusive urbanisation. Many of these solutions have utilised frontier technologies like AI and machine learning extensively to contextualise solutions.
This is reflected in the Government of India’s development agenda and the globally agreed SDG targets on harnessing and maximising the potential of technological innovations and entrepreneurship. As part of its G20 Presidency, India has initiated the Start-up 20 Engagement Group to provide a global platform to enable the start-up ecosystem across the member nations. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has also launched the G20 Digital Innovation Alliance’ (G20-DIA) to showcase innovative solutions and create an alliance of players in the innovation ecosystem. And ‘Catalysing Digital Urban Futures’, one of the priority themes for Urban-20 Engagement Group under G20, seeks to discuss how data and technology can be best utilised for making city management more effective and inclusive.
Creating an inclusive and accessible India will require behavioural changes, capacity building, investments in accessible infrastructure and inclusive and accessible innovations. This will help inform policies for the country’s progress towards an equitable urban future as envisioned for the Amrit Kaal — an inclusive, accessible, safe, resilient, and sustainable India@2047. Many more people like Manasi Joshi will be empowered to make the country proud, and all of India will benefit from a society that employs its full range of talent.
Written by Shombi Sharp, Hitesh Vaidya
Source: Indian Express, 12/06/23
