Policy intervention to enhance accessibility for persons with reduced mobility can boost GDP: Experts

New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) Targetted policy interventions and systematic improvements to enhance accessibility by incorporating infrastructure for persons with reduced mobility can boost India's GDP and overall productivity, according to experts.

Gaps in infrastructure and service designs for persons with reduced mobility will result in an estimated productivity loss of USD 215 billion in sectors such as tourism, sports, and transport in 2025-26, opined experts participating in the first National Summit on Accessibility 2025, organised by Svayam, in partnership with the CII and Unesco, here on Thursday.

An estimated 486 million people as of 2025-26, or about 34 per cent of the country's population, are directly impacted by reduced mobility, and upgrades in infrastructure and service design could help unlock new markets, boosting productivity, fostering inclusive growth, which could all help drive the country's GDP further, they said.

Sminu Jindal, Founder and Chairperson, Svayam, said, "The losses owing to lack of accessibility inclusion in businesses underscores the need for accessibility to be viewed as not merely a social responsibility but a true economic imperative for the nation." Apart from persons with disabilities, senior citizens with activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), families with children up to four years, individuals with obesity, women with high-risk pregnancies, persons with prevalent cases of stroke, arthritis, and injury-related impairments, are all affected by reduced mobility.

While 34 per cent of people are directly impacted by the lack of reduced mobility-friendly infrastructure, when you add their family members and caregivers, the number goes up further to 715 million, which is 50 per cent of India's population, Naveen Aggarwal, Partner, KPMG India, said.

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) 2024 report, India's domestic tourism sector is valued at USD 175 billion, yet it holds significant untapped potential among the 191.8 million individuals who experience reduced mobility.

Such travellers typically spend 23.5 per cent more per trip due to higher transport, accommodation, and support costs. Making tourism infrastructure inclusive could unlock USD 16.58 billion in annual revenue, according to a note shared by leading accessibility organisation Svayam, which hosted the summit as part of their silver jubilee celebrations.

"For example, once Qutub Minar was made accessibility-friendly for people with reduced mobility, its revenue crossed the combined numbers of Humayun's Tomb and Red Fort. So that's the kind of impact we are looking at," Jindal told PTI on the sidelines of the event. PTI TRB CS TRB MR