India, on June 30, 2014, became the first country to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled.Marrakesh Treaty is going to create a set of mandatory limitations and exceptions for the benefit of the blind, visually impaired and otherwise print disabled (VIPs). It addresses the ‘book famine’ by requiring its contracting parties to adopt national law provisions that permit the reproduction, distribution and making available of published works in accessible formats - such as Braille - to VIPs and to permit exchange of these works across borders by organizations that serve those beneficiaries.
Goals of the Treaty
The treaty is aimed to end the book famine faced by people who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled.Currently only some 1-7 % of the world’s published books ever make it into accessible formats. This is partly due to access barriers in copyright law. It does that in two main ways.
Major Provisions in the Treaty
Stand Up India Scheme Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 5, 2016 launched the “Stand up India scheme” and a Web portal for the scheme. The programme aimed at turning job seekers into job creators, ensuring that these marginalised sections of society, which collectively account for nearly a quarter of India’s population, integrate into the mainstream economy. Salient Features
Objectives
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