Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday said the upcoming Census 2027 presents a "historic opportunity" to accurately capture data on all 21 recognised categories of disabilities and enable targeted policymaking for persons with disabilities. Speaking at the launch of a handbook titled 'Beyond the Visible: A Handbook on Disability Inclusion for Parliamentarians', Athawale said the exercise would be the first census conducted after the enactment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. He emphasised that improved enumeration and disaggregated data would help the government design effective interventions and ensure better inclusion of persons with disabilities. "The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, was a landmark reform that expanded recognition to 21 disabilities, shifted from a welfare-based to a rights-based approach, and aligned India with the UNCRPD. For the first time, the law explicitly recognised political barriers as a major obstacle for ..