Facilities for disabled being provided at airports

New Delhi, March 23 (IANS) The central government on Thursday said facilities like lifts, ramps, toilets and wheelchairs are being provided at all the airports managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to persons with disabilities.

This was being done to ensure dignified treatment during their air travel, the government said.

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, it has laid down regulations for carriage of persons with disabilities and reduced mobility by air in order to protect them against any form of discrimination and ensure that they receive all possible assistance during their travel.

"Under the Accessible India Campaign, the AAI is providing additional facilities for dignified treatment to air passengers such as Braille signs in lifts along with oratory signals, toilets for differently-abled ('Divyang' persons), ramps at level difference locations," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha told the Lok Sabha.

"The airport operators have also ensured that the assistive devices being used to assist disabled passengers are as per the standard set by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment," Sinha said in a written reply.

The Minister noted that the Public Grievance Redressal System was already in place at all the airports across India.

"The present system is available for public at large -- the air passengers as well as all the airport users etc and does not discriminate between different categories," the minister added.