Skill Development Programs — Amendments

Amendment	Year	Description	Impact
N/A (Act, not a constitutional amendment)	2016	The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, replaced the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. This was a significant legislative 'amendment' in the context of disability rights in India.	The RPD Act 2016 expanded the definition of disability, increased the number of recognized disabilities from 7 to 21, and significantly strengthened the legal framework for the rights of PWDs. Crucially for skill development, it mandated the appropriate government to ensure vocational training and self-employment opportunities (Section 19), emphasized inclusive education, and increased reservation in government employment to 4%. This shifted the paradigm from a welfare-based approach to a rights-based one, legally obligating the state to provide accessible and inclusive skill development, thereby profoundly impacting policy and program design for PWDs.