Permanent Mission of India
New York
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Empowering Persons with Disabilities and Fostering Sustainable Development

Statement of Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, Permanent Representative
10 June 2025

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,

At the outset, I wish to acknowledge the presence of Hon’ble Member of Parliament Dr. Anil Sukhdevrao Bonde. I also wish to welcome my colleagues Ambassador Tesfaye Yilma Sabo of Ethiopia, Ambassador Jose Alberto Briz Gutierrez of Guatemala and Ambassador Abbas Kadhom Obaid Al-Fatlawi of Iraq and other distinguished colleagues attending today’s event. I also warmly welcome Mr D.R. Mehta, the Founder and Chief Patron of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahyata Samity BMVSS and my senior colleague Amb Satish Mehta, President of BMVSS. Mr. Mehta who has completed 90 years a few days ago, is a model of inspiration for all of us, who has devoted his life to public service, and the cause of “Jaipur Foot” not only with passion, but more importantly with a huge compassion. We look forward to hear about their extensive work and engagement in the field.

The Permanent Mission of India is delighted to hold today’s panel discussion on ‘Empowering Persons with Disabilities and Fostering Sustainable Development’ on the margins of the 18^thsession on the Conference of State Parties to CRPD. The focus today is on empowering disabled persons - not only support them but also create an empowering environment for them to achieve their full potential and allow them to be active contributors in their families, communities, nations and indeed at a global level.

Friends,

India’s civilizational dictum is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – or, the “Whole world is one family”. It is this vision that drives India’s engagement with friends and partners globally, both bilaterally, regionally and multilaterally at the United Nations and elsewhere. This motivates us to share our development experience, and indeed our limited resources, with fellow brothers and sisters in the developing world, through South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

At a national level, in India, my Government’s commitment to inclusivity and empowerment of persons with disabilities is causing a transformative shift in realising the rights of disabled persons. This transformation is propelled by policies and initiatives that aim to ensure that every individual, irrespective of ability, can access opportunities and participate fully in society. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 marked a significant step as it expanded recognised categories of disabilities, emphasized inclusive education, mandated barrier-free access and called for non-discrimination in employment and service provision.

This year, India will mark 10 years of the Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan), a flagship campaign which aims to achieve universal accessibility for Persons with Disabilities across India. From accessible infrastructure and inclusive education to advancing technology for empowerment, the campaign is enabling persons with disabilities live their lives with dignity and equality. Collaboration across organizations have resulted in signing of 72 MoU’s with various start-ups across multiple sectors for collaboration and innovation; further, Indian Sign Language dictionary, published since 2001 is now available in 10 regional languages, ensuring broader reach and understanding across India’s diverse linguistic landscape.

Ladies and Gentlemen

Globally, there is a growing awareness today about the special interests and needs of persons with disabilities. The Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samity has held India’s flag high through their exemplary work in this regard. This year marks the Golden Jubilee, 50 years, of the establishment of this hallowed institution. The ‘Jaipur Foot,’ popularised by the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samity (BMVSS), a non-profit social enterprise headquartered in Jaipur, India, has emerged as a beacon of hope for millions of its beneficiaries. It is the world’s largest organisation providing prosthetic limbs, calipers, wheel chairs and other assistive devices to persons in disabilities with a beneficiary base of over 2.2 million individuals in 44 countries.

However, the innovation of Jaipur foot is in the triple areas of affordability, accessibility and adaptability.

Firstly, at a time when a prosthetic limb costs anywhere between USD 10,000 to USD 100,000, BMVSS has succeeded in fashioning a prosthetic limb for less than USD 100 – a huge feat of scale, technological adaptation and public service for beneficiaries in developing world of the Global South where per capita GDP is less than USD 3000 and real incomes for a significant part of the population are less than USD 5 per day.

Secondly, since prosthetic devices are not affordable or accessible to poorer sections of society, BMVSS has evolved a business model of aggregation of goodwill, compassion and kindness. With a motto of “no person with disability left behind” they have not patented their product, freely share their technology and expertise because they treat everyone providing limbs as partners in their global enterprise of reaching out to all persons with disabilities with assistive devices. They also provide Jaipur foot and other assistive devices on a gratis basis to all those in need and unable to afford the cost, by linking up persons with compassion and goodwill with persons with disabilities and with no means to afford the cost of the prosthetic device!

Thirdly, the range of motion delivered by Jaipur foot, at the level of the foot, ankle and knee, enable beneficiaries to climb trees, hike, walk, pray by prostration and get along their daily activities with dignity and reassurance, without any hindrance whatsoever. This is unparalleled for a device produced at less than USD 100.

Fourthly, their efforts in training a large number of crafts-persons with the skill in crafting Jaipur foot to the specific contours and needs of every beneficiary, delivering a custom made product within the affordable range, are praiseworthy and unparalleled. All beneficiaries, and indeed all of us, owe a debt for their efforts in providing around 50,000 such customised devices to persons with disabilities on an annual basis – the largest number by any one organisation in this area.

Friends,

In today’s world marked by armed conflict and natural disasters, traffic accidents and other incidents contributing to disabilities, humanitarian assistance, especially for persons with disabilities, is the need of the hour. People with disabilities face heightened vulnerabilities due to a combination of new injuries and limited access to essential services. Addressing such issues require a disability-inclusive approach to peacebuilding and humanitarian assistance. The Jaipur Foot restores dignity and independence to thousands of victims, especially in post-conflict societies across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Through its collaboration with governments, NGOs and international bodies, the organization exemplifies South-South cooperation.

The emphasis on rights of persons with disabilities underscores the need for enhanced global cooperation in recognizing the contributions of all individuals, paving the way for a more inclusive and sustainable future. By bringing the voices of such staunch advocates of rights of disabled persons to the fore, we hope to catalyse greater inclusion and bring about equitable and sustainable social development for all.

I look forward to an enriching discussion. Thank you again for joining us today.