Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant on Monday, 20th March 2023 launched the Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) forum set up by the State Commission for Persons with Disabilities to effectively implement the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 in the state. The present dignitaries for the occasion were Subhash Phal Dessai Minister for Social Welfare, Guruprasad Pawaskar the state commissioner for PwDs, Taha Haaziq Secretary, Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities and developer team ‘Sama’.
The Goa State Commission for Persons with Disabilities is the first disability commission in the country to adopt ODR.
With the support of *Sama*, an organisation dealing with ODR and EnAble India, Bangalore the Commission has established the forum. Through ODR the Commission seeks to digitise notices and ensure compliance with the RPwD Act, 2016.
Chief Minister in his address said, “Offering quick and continued access to justice through ODR is a great step in the direction of empowering people with disabilities. This will give people with disabilities a convenient and accessible forum for settling disputes with service providers, including government organisations”.
ODR is launched with an intention of speeding up the resolution of disputes, cutting down on the time and expense of traditional litigation while improving accessibility to justice for people with disabilities. ODR will also help the commission and service providers communicate more effectively and efficiently, enabling them to settle conflicts quickly and cooperatively.