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Bharatiya Janata Party · 2019
Claim
Not supported by audit
Delivery
Not delivered
The campaign has been running on almost no money and the audit-and-rating system promised in 2019 does not appear in the government's own account of it. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment's answer of 4 August 2026 sets out what was released for the Accessible India Campaign from 2016-17 to 2024-25: ₹563.85 crore in total, of which ₹464.63 crore was utilised — and the annual figures collapse from ₹134.99 crore in 2017-18 to ₹8.50 crore in 2023-24 and ₹1.76 crore in 2024-25, with nothing released in 2024-25 as grants-in-aid. The disability identity project has scaled — 1,40,68,994 people are linked to the UDID database — but a card is not a ramp, and no accessibility audit or rating system for cities, airports, stations or transport is reported.
“To take forward the gains achieved under Sugamya Bharat, we will put in place a system of continuous accessibility audits and ratings for cities, public infrastructure including airports, railway stations and public transport systems, to ensure that they are fully accessible, with collaboration with industry and civil society organisations.”No CAG performance audit published
No CAG performance audit covering this scheme has been published. The absence of an audit is not evidence that the claim is either accurate or inaccurate.
No CAG audit of the Accessible India Campaign covering this period has been tabled in a report we hold. The figures here are the implementing ministry's own.
No audit period to plot — no CAG performance audit covering this scheme has been published.
₹563.85 crore released and ₹464.63 crore utilised under the Accessible India Campaign from 2016-17 to 2024-25; 1,40,68,994 people linked to the UDID database
The ministry attributes the nil release in 2024-25 to the switch to a treasury single account module for transferring sanctioned funds to states, not to a policy decision.
Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2601, Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan — answer by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
The 2019 promise on disability access is specific about the instrument: "we will put in place a system of continuous accessibility audits and ratings for cities, public infrastructure including airports, railway stations and public transport systems, to ensure that they are fully accessible, with collaboration with industry and civil society organisations."
That system does not appear anywhere in the government's own description of the campaign. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment's answer of 4 August 2026 covers funds released, the Unique Disability ID project, the national disability database and school dropout policy. Accessibility audits and ratings — the thing promised — are not mentioned.
What the answer does show is the money, and the trajectory is the finding. Funds released under the Accessible India Campaign, in lakhs: 6,784.75 in 2016-17, 13,499.47 in 2017-18, 11,000.68 in 2018-19, 12,799.39 in 2019-20, 4,341.77 in 2020-21, 6,932.59 in 2021-22, 850.15 in 2022-23 and 175.82 in 2023-24. Total released across nine years: ₹563.85 crore. Total utilised: ₹464.63 crore.
Five hundred and sixty-three crore, for a campaign to make India's public buildings, transport systems and websites usable by an estimated 2.7 crore persons with disabilities, over nine years. And the annual figure fell by roughly ninety-nine per cent between 2017-18 and 2023-24. For 2024-25 the answer records a nil release with a footnote: "No GIA was released in FY 2024-25 due to implementation of TSA module for transfer of sanctioned funds to State/UT Governments." An administrative explanation for one year does not explain the decline across six.
Where the government has invested is identity rather than access. The Unique Disability Identity project has built "a centralized national database of persons with disabilities", and 1,40,68,994 people are linked to it. A UDID card makes it easier to claim a benefit; it does not put a ramp on a railway platform, a lift in a government office, or a screen reader on a state website.
The manifesto's own framing was "to take forward the gains achieved under Sugamya Bharat" — an acknowledgement that the campaign's first phase, launched in 2015 with targets for 50 per cent of government buildings and all international airports and A1 railway stations, had already fallen behind its deadlines. The 2019 promise was to add measurement so that progress could be tracked. On the record before us, neither the measurement nor the money arrived.
Our verdict is not supported.
BJP Sankalp Patra 2019 — Lok Sabha election manifesto
“Through this Sankalp Patra, you would get a glimpse of the challenges of the yesteryears, the indomitable efforts made by 130 crore Indians to overcome those challenges and our collective vision for the future… There are two commitments that I am extremely passionate about — doubling of farmer income and housing for all, by the year 2022.”
Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2601, Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan — answer by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
“The Accessible India Campaign, also known as 'Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan', is a nationwide initiative to create a barrier-free environment for persons with disabilities (PwDs)… [Annexure-I, Rs. in Lakhs, funds released and utilised FY 2016-17 to FY 2024-25: yearly releases 6,784.75; 13,499.47; 11,000.68; 12,799.39; 4,341.77; 6,932.59; 850.15; 175.82 — Total Fund released 56,384.61; Fund Utilized 46,462.77. Footnote: 'No GIA was released in FY 2024-25 due to implementation of TSA module for transfer of sanctioned funds to State/UT Governments.']… Government has established a centralized national database of persons with disabilities under the Unique Disability Identity (UDID) Project. UDID Portal serves as a national repository of certified persons with disabilities… [Annexure-III total persons with disabilities linked to the UDID central database: 1,40,68,994.]”