The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has issued a notification seeking information on availability of unisex toilets for divyangjan and inventory of buildings. This notification was issued on 29th March, 2023.
It may be recalled that the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) launched Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) as a nation-wide Campaign for achieving universal accessibility for Persons with Disabilities.
The notification states that standards of accessibility should be as consistent as possible with international standards. These standards include ISO, taking into account the local context.
With regards to the built environment, ISO 21542:2011, Building Construction- Accessibility and Usability of the Built Environment, delineates a set of requirements and recommendations concerning construction, assembly, components and fittings.
Therefore all technical universities and AICTE approved institutions must furnish the following information on the E-Samiksha Portal (Accessible India Campaign):
- information about construction of adequate unisex toilets for Divyangjan in each toilet block and
- inventory of building to be prepared with timelines for making them accessible.
Additionally, these intuitions are requested to furnish information on availability of unisex toilets in their institutions and details on inventory in the google form titled ‘Unisex toilet for Divyangjan’. This information shall be furnished on or before 15th April, 2023.
