Office of Diversity and Inclusion at IIMB and APD jointly organise Purple Manthan on 20 February 2026
A national dialogue marking a decade of the RPwD Act and advancing pathways for disability-inclusive development
20 February, Bengaluru, 2026: The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) at IIM Bangalore, in partnership with The Association of People with Disability (APD), jointly organised ‘Purple Manthan: Decade of Disability Inclusion: Reflecting on the PwD Act 2016’ on 20 February, 2026. The event convened policymakers, academic leaders, practitioners, and civil society stakeholders to reflect on ten years of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD), 2016, assess its implementation progress, share lived experiences as persons with disabilities, and deliberate on strategies for strengthening inclusive development across sectors.
Aligned with the global theme of the World Day of Social Justice, ‘Empowering Inclusion: Bridging Gaps for Social Justice,’ the convening focused on strengthening multisectoral collaboration, advancing accessibility across systems, and enabling scalable models of inclusion. Delivering the welcome address, Mr. Jacob Kurian, Honorary Secretary, APD, reflected on the RPwD Act as a milestone in India’s journey toward equality and underscored accessibility as the foundational condition for participation. Invoking the spirit of the Constitution of India, he read from the Preamble and emphasized the responsibility to translate its promise into lived reality, “We, the people of India… secure to all its citizens justice, liberty, equality of status and of opportunity… It is now our responsibility to ensure that these words move from paper to everyday experience for persons with disabilities.”
In his address, Prof. Sourav Mukherji, Dean, Faculty, IIMB, presented a systemic perspective on the disability ecosystem in India, highlighting structural challenges alongside emerging opportunities for innovation and scale. He noted the importance of aligning institutional capability, inclusive enterprise models, and technological advancement to expand access while preserving social purpose. He observed, “Scaling provides financial sustainability, but pressure to scale leads to mission dilution.”
The Guest of Honor address was delivered by Mrs. Manmeet Nanda, Additional Secretary, DEPwD, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, who outlined priorities for administrative reform and ecosystem convergence. Emphasizing simplification of access to public services and collaborative policy design, she noted, “We must recognize the diversity of perspectives within the disability ecosystem and work towards convergence. Government schemes must become simpler and more accessible so that procedural barriers do not exclude the very citizens they are meant to serve.”
She further reiterated the Department’s commitment to partnering with stakeholders to strengthen identification and service linkages and to expand pathways for skilling, employment, and entrepreneurship.
A key highlight of the event was the release of the Resource Book on Accessibility in Educational Institutions, launched by N. S. Senthil Kumar, CEO, APD, and P. K. Gopalakrishnan, APD member, Prof. Anil B Suraj, Chairperson, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, and NSR Pre-doc, IIMB, Mr. Jacob Kurian, Honorary Secretary, APD, and Mrs. Manmeet Nanda, Additional Secretary, DEPwD, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The publication provides practical guidance on accessible infrastructure, systems, and institutional practices to support inclusive learning environments.
The deliberations continued through thematic sessions on ‘Livelihood: Building Inclusive Pathways for Economic Empowerment’, ‘Accessibility: Enabling Environments for Inclusion and Participation’, and ‘Governance and Data: Strengthening Systems for Inclusive Policy and Accountability’, followed by ‘The Manthan: Key Takeaways & Way Forward’, an interactive strategy articulation and recommendations session led by Prof. Anil B. Suraj.
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Office of Diversity and Inclusion at IIMB and APD jointly organise Purple Manthan on 20 February 2026
A national dialogue marking a decade of the RPwD Act and advancing pathways for disability-inclusive development
20 February, Bengaluru, 2026: The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) at IIM Bangalore, in partnership with The Association of People with Disability (APD), jointly organised ‘Purple Manthan: Decade of Disability Inclusion: Reflecting on the PwD Act 2016’ on 20 February, 2026. The event convened policymakers, academic leaders, practitioners, and civil society stakeholders to reflect on ten years of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD), 2016, assess its implementation progress, share lived experiences as persons with disabilities, and deliberate on strategies for strengthening inclusive development across sectors.
Aligned with the global theme of the World Day of Social Justice, ‘Empowering Inclusion: Bridging Gaps for Social Justice,’ the convening focused on strengthening multisectoral collaboration, advancing accessibility across systems, and enabling scalable models of inclusion. Delivering the welcome address, Mr. Jacob Kurian, Honorary Secretary, APD, reflected on the RPwD Act as a milestone in India’s journey toward equality and underscored accessibility as the foundational condition for participation. Invoking the spirit of the Constitution of India, he read from the Preamble and emphasized the responsibility to translate its promise into lived reality, “We, the people of India… secure to all its citizens justice, liberty, equality of status and of opportunity… It is now our responsibility to ensure that these words move from paper to everyday experience for persons with disabilities.”
In his address, Prof. Sourav Mukherji, Dean, Faculty, IIMB, presented a systemic perspective on the disability ecosystem in India, highlighting structural challenges alongside emerging opportunities for innovation and scale. He noted the importance of aligning institutional capability, inclusive enterprise models, and technological advancement to expand access while preserving social purpose. He observed, “Scaling provides financial sustainability, but pressure to scale leads to mission dilution.”
The Guest of Honor address was delivered by Mrs. Manmeet Nanda, Additional Secretary, DEPwD, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, who outlined priorities for administrative reform and ecosystem convergence. Emphasizing simplification of access to public services and collaborative policy design, she noted, “We must recognize the diversity of perspectives within the disability ecosystem and work towards convergence. Government schemes must become simpler and more accessible so that procedural barriers do not exclude the very citizens they are meant to serve.”
She further reiterated the Department’s commitment to partnering with stakeholders to strengthen identification and service linkages and to expand pathways for skilling, employment, and entrepreneurship.
A key highlight of the event was the release of the Resource Book on Accessibility in Educational Institutions, launched by N. S. Senthil Kumar, CEO, APD, and P. K. Gopalakrishnan, APD member, Prof. Anil B Suraj, Chairperson, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, and NSR Pre-doc, IIMB, Mr. Jacob Kurian, Honorary Secretary, APD, and Mrs. Manmeet Nanda, Additional Secretary, DEPwD, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The publication provides practical guidance on accessible infrastructure, systems, and institutional practices to support inclusive learning environments.
The deliberations continued through thematic sessions on ‘Livelihood: Building Inclusive Pathways for Economic Empowerment’, ‘Accessibility: Enabling Environments for Inclusion and Participation’, and ‘Governance and Data: Strengthening Systems for Inclusive Policy and Accountability’, followed by ‘The Manthan: Key Takeaways & Way Forward’, an interactive strategy articulation and recommendations session led by Prof. Anil B. Suraj.
Click here for photo Gallery