Policies and Strategies for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in Sikkim: A Reflection

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is a Sanskrit phrase meaning the world is one family. This concept somehow can be related in understanding the global to local need-based policies and legal framework advocating for inclusion of Person with Disabilities (PWD) into one inclusive mainstream society. The 2030 Agenda for sustainable development acknowledges the advancement of people with disabilities’ rights, perspectives and well-being in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in order to create a more sustainable and inclusive world’ (Dandona et al, 2019). According to statistical estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), there are currently more than one billion persons with disabilities worldwide Additionally, about 27 million Indians with disabilities were counted in the same census (Saikia, 2016). The state of the Himalayas according to the 2011 census, Sikkim, the smallest state in terms of population, has 18,187 PWD, or 2.9% of its total population (Department of Empowerment of Person with Disability, 2023-24). Following the RPWD Act 2016's statewide implementation, Sikkim reviewed its disability-related policies and programs and subsequently envisioned more locally-based, need-based laws and regulations to empower the state's disabled population Hence, this paper explores the current policies, programs and strategies in empowering the PWD in the state of Sikkim.