Delhi Govt to make public buildings Divyang-friendly

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday held a high-level meeting with Mallika Nadda, president of Special Olympics Bharat, to discuss advancing accessibility in sports, education, and public services for persons with disabilities (PwDs) under the ‘Sugamya Delhi Abhiyan’.

The meeting, held at the Delhi Secretariat, was attended by Cabinet Minister Ashish Sood and senior officials from the Office of the Chief Commissioner for PwDs.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister reiterated the Delhi Government’s commitment to building an inclusive capital, announcing that all government buildings and sports stadiums in the city would soon be made Divyang-friendly. “No individual should be left behind due to any form of disability,” she asserted.

The ‘Sugamya Delhi Abhiyan’ aims to align the city’s infrastructure with national accessibility standards and make Delhi the country’s first ‘Purple City’ — a model of urban accessibility and inclusion. Launched in alignment with the Central Government’s Accessible India Campaign (2015), the initiative is being led by the Inclusive Divyangjan Entrepreneur Association (IDEA), which works on employment, entrepreneurship and accessibility for PwDs.

As part of the plan, the government will undertake infrastructure upgrades across public and institutional spaces in the capital, including ramps, lifts, Braille signage, wheelchair access and audio-visual support systems. The campaign also promises the launch of special schemes to promote PwD participation in sports, education and public services.

The CM emphasised the three-pillar structure of the campaign — Sarkar, Samaj, Bazaar — which seeks collaboration between the government, community stakeholders and market innovators.