Maharashtra’s PwD Welfare Dept signs MoU with NCPEDP to train officials and strengthen RPwD Act's implementation.

Mumbai, November 11, 2025 (pressrelease.in) — Maharashtra’s PwD Welfare Dept signs MoU with NCPEDP to train officials and strengthen RPwD Act implementation. Mumbai, 11-11-2025: Persons with Disabilities Welfare Department, Government of Maharashtra, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) to collaborate on training and sensitisation of government officials and personnel on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act). The training will be delivered through a custom Learning Management System (LMS) developed by NCPEDP with the CSR support of Bajaj Finserv, designed to make learning accessible, interactive, and scalable across departments and districts.

This collaboration aims to strengthen the implementation of the RPwD Act across the state through capacity building, technology adoption, and improved service delivery. In line with Section 39 of the RPwD Act, the Government is committed to conducting regular awareness, training, and sensitisation programs for government officials and members of local authorities, including professionals such as judges, doctors, engineers, teachers, and community workers.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Tukaram Munde, I.A.S., Secretary, Persons with Disabilities Welfare Department, Government of Maharashtra, said: “This marks a major step toward the effective implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. This will help officers and employees across various departments understand the Act and its objectives in letter and spirit, empowering and enabling them to implement it effectively. This initiative will also promote greater sensitisation among employees and persons with disabilities themselves, ensuring correct and complete enforcement of the Act, and leading to the real empowerment of persons with disabilities.”

Expressing his thoughts on the collaboration, Mr. Arman Ali, Executive Director, NCPEDP, said: “This partnership marks a significant step towards building awareness among government personnel on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. It will help foster a deeper understanding of disability and strengthen the foundation for inclusive governance. I hope this pilot sets a strong example and becomes a model for other states to adopt”

The Learning Management System (LMS) developed by NCPEDP is an inclusive digital platform designed to make training accessible to all government personnel. It offers multilingual support in English, Hindi and Marathi ensuring that officials across linguistic backgrounds can participate effectively. The platform is built to comply with accessibility standards, making it usable by persons with disabilities. It follows a modular structure covering the key provisions of the RPwD Act, implementation best practices, and case-based learning, while its role-based access system allows participants, administrators, and supervisors to track learning progress and maintain accountability.

Through this partnership, the Department and NCPEDP reaffirm their shared commitment to creating an inclusive governance ecosystem that upholds the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities and ensures effective implementation of the RPwD Act across all levels of administration.