"NMC revises disability guidelines for MBBS admissions toward functional assessment"
Benchmark Disability
disability certified at 40% or more under the RPwD Act, 2016, qualifying for statutory protections.
Reasonable Accommodation
necessary modifications enabling PwDs to participate on an equal basis, legally mandated under RPwD Act, 2016.
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 is the cornerstone legislative framework for disability rights in India, replacing the earlier Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995. The Act expanded recognised disability categories from 7 to 21, mandated 5% reservation in government educational institutions, and introduced the legally enforceable concept of reasonable accommodation — defined as necessary and appropriate modifications enabling persons with disabilities (PwDs) to participate on an equal basis. The Act places a positive obligation on educational institutions to provide inclusive education, accessible environments, and support for persons with benchmark disabilities (those with at least 40% disability as certified). Crucially, any restriction on PwDs must be grounded in a demonstrable functional rationale, not stereotyped assumptions about a disability category.
The National Medical Commission (NMC), established under the NMC Act, 2019 to replace the Medical Council of India, is the apex regulator for medical education in India. It governs MBBS admissions through NEET-UG and sets eligibility standards for PwD candidates. The intersection of disability rights and medical education has been a contested legal terrain, with the Supreme Court hearing landmark cases — including Om Rathod vs. Director General of Health Services (2024) and Anmol vs. Union of India (2026) — that have progressively compelled the NMC to reform its framework. The NMC's compliance with these judicial directions was notably delayed, raising serious questions about institutional accountability and the gap between statutory mandate and regulatory practice.
The central regulatory challenge in admitting PwD candidates to MBBS programmes lies in balancing two competing imperatives: ensuring medical professionals possess functional competencies for safe clinical practice, and ensuring PwDs are not arbitrarily excluded on the basis of categorical assumptions. The RPwD Act, 2016 mandates that any restriction must be based on a genuine occupational requirement assessed individually — not on a blanket disability category or a numerical threshold applied uniformly.
The NMC's earlier guidelines were structured around rigid thresholds and broad disability categories. An applicant could be declared ineligible simply by belonging to a particular category or exceeding a prescribed percentage of disability, irrespective of whether they could actually complete the MBBS course with appropriate support. This approach was challenged before the Supreme Court on the ground that it amounted to systemic discrimination against persons with benchmark disabilities — a phrase the Court itself used in its observations, signalling that the exclusion was structural, not incidental. …
Which of the following statements with regard to the persons with disabilities in India is/are correct?
1.The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, an Act passed by the Parliament of India in 2018, mandates reservation in education and employment, places a legal duty on Governments to ensure accessibility and non-discrimination.
2.The Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan focuses on achieving universal accessibility for Persons with Disabilities across three key domains - built infrastructure, transport systems and information and communication technology.
3.The National Divyangjan Finance and Development Corporation (NDFDC) is a public sector organisation set up by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs as a not-for-profit company to promote entrepreneurship among Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).
Select the answer using the code given below:
With reference to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, consider the following statements:
1.The Act expanded the number of recognised disability categories from 7 to 21.
2.It mandates 5% reservation for persons with disabilities in government educational institutions.
3.'Benchmark disability' under the Act refers to a disability of at least 50% as certified by a competent authority.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The National Medical Commission (NMC) was established to replace which of the following bodies?
With reference to the 'functional assessment model' introduced in the NMC's revised disability guidelines for MBBS admissions, which of the following best describes its core principle?
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