Accessible India Campaign

Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) — a landmark mission to make India barrier-free and inclusive for persons with disabilities.

Accessible India Campaign

One of the most defining and fulfilling chapters of my public service journey was the conceptualization and national rollout of the Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) — a landmark mission to make India barrier-free and inclusive for persons with disabilities. This was not merely a government scheme; it was a transformative movement aimed at reshaping how we, as a society, think about accessibility, dignity, and human rights.

During my tenure as Joint Secretary in the Department of Disability Affairs under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, I was deeply involved in policy design for disability inclusion. But I soon realized that the fragmented efforts needed a unifying vision — a bold, systemic initiative that could rally public, private, and civic actors around a common goal: to make India truly accessible for all.

And so, the Accessible India Campaign was born. After months of research, consultations with disability rights organizations, global benchmarking, and coordination with ministries across infrastructure, transport, IT, and urban development, we laid out a comprehensive plan. The campaign had three pillars: making built environments like government buildings, airports, and railway stations accessible; creating accessible transportation systems including buses and metros; and ensuring digital accessibility in websites, mobile apps, and public information platforms.

The Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the campaign on 3rd December 2015, marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. His personal endorsement gave the mission an unprecedented momentum, making it not just a bureaucratic effort, but a national conscience call.

The campaign mobilized more than 50 central ministries and departments, as well as all state governments, into action. Accessibility audits were conducted in over 2,500 government buildings across India. Hundreds of public transportation systems were retrofitted. For the first time, major government websites were assessed and redesigned for digital accessibility using global standards such as WCAG 2.0. We created performance indices and dashboards to track progress transparently and in real time. Skill councils were set up to ensure persons with disabilities could not only access spaces but also opportunities.

What made the campaign truly special was the emotional shift it sparked. I had the privilege of presenting the campaign to several chief ministers and union ministers, and I still remember the impact of one particular presentation in Ahmedabad, where a young wheelchair user rolled onto the stage and said, “For the first time, I feel seen.” That moment alone validated the countless hours of planning, coordination, and policy work.

The campaign also sparked innovation — from tactile paths on footpaths and voice-enabled kiosks at railway stations, to accessibility toolkits for urban planners and architects. We built not just ramps and websites, but a new vocabulary of empathy and inclusion across the country.

I often say that Accessible India was a turning point not just for policy, but for my own understanding of leadership. It reminded me that the true test of governance is not how it serves the powerful, but how it uplifts the most overlooked. It taught me that policy must move from paper to pavement — and from compliance to compassion.

Even today, years after its launch, the Accessible India Campaign continues to influence infrastructure standards, digital design norms, and public consciousness. I’m proud to have lit that spark — and to have seen it grow into a flame of possibility for millions of Indians living with disabilities.

But through all these roles — from SP of Raisen to Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Social Justice, from policy rooms in Delhi to grassroots field offices in Balaghat — a quiet, growing insight began to take root in me: good governance is not just about systems and efficiency. It is about people. About their aspirations, their inner struggles, their happiness.

This realization took me on a new journey — into the science of happiness.

Create Happiness & Inspire More!

Let’s take each moment as an opportunity to uplift, to celebrate, and to remind one another that true success lies not just in achievements, but in the happiness we spread.
Dr. Mukesh Jain — a lifelong public servant, passionate speaker, author, and a relentless student of what truly makes life meaningful.
© 2025 Mukesh Jain Official. All rights reserved. Powered By Web Roosters