Currency that cannot be identified, banks and banking facilities that are
inaccessible, ditto for ATMs, and there is no redressal in the near future.
The struggles of India’s nearly 80 lakh blind and low vision community
continue.
Despite many petitions, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and
the Centre have failed to make the financial machinery
user-friendly for people who are visually impaired. The community has been
highlighting this through various platforms.
Now, the Blind Graduates Forum of India (BGFI) has stepped
up and has filed a case in a court. The court was told about the many
challenges blind and low vision people face in their daily lives, from the
difficulty in accessing bank accounts, handling cash and using Internet and
mobile banking services.
The RBI has suggested that technology should be used by blind people for
identification of currency but that is a short term solution and also not
available to most people in India. We are looking for a long term
resolution in this regard. People with visual impairments have been raising
concerns for years but the authorities keep on overlooking and ignoring our
suggestions. This needs to change and the banking system needs to be
regulated to become inclusive. – Amar Jain, Lawyer
For now the Bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and
Justice V Kameswar Rao have issued notices to the Centre and
RBI to respond to the plea.
“We are happy that the court has accepted our plea and issued notices. Our
petition calls for a holistic and sustainable solution to the problem that
blind people are facing in the country, says Vishal Jain, President,
BGFI . “The Government and RBI should ensure that mistakes that
have been committed time and again till now are not repeated in the future.
The banking system should be designed to be accessible for people who are
visually impaired, elderly, and also those who are not educated.”
For too long the needs of the visually impaired community have been
overlooked when it comes to access to basic facilities. Time that steps are
taken to address this injustice.
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Source: https://newzhook.com/story/21041
