Preliminary

An Act to provide for the constitution of a body at the national level for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Be it enacted by Parliament in the Fiftieth Year of the Republic of India as follows:

Chapter 1-Preliminary

1. This Act may be called the National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999 2. It extends to the whole of India expect the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

Definitions

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires-

1. "autism" means a condition of uneven skill development primarily affecting the communication and social abilities of a person, marked by repetitive and ritualistic behavior;

2. "Board" means Board of trustees constituted under section 3;

3. "cerebral palsy" means a group of non-progressive condition of a person characterized by abnormal motor control posture resulting from brain insult or injuries occurring in the pre-natal, perinatal or infant period of development;

4. "Chairperson" means the Chairperson of the Board appointed under clause (a) sub-section (4) of section 3;

5. "Chief Executive" Officer" means the Chief Executive Officer appointed under sub-section (1) of section 8;

6. "Member" means a Member of the Board and includes the Chairperson;

7. "Mental retardation" means a condition of arrested or incomplete development of mind of person, which is specially characterized by sub-normality of intelligence;

8. "Multiple disabilities" means a combination of two or more disabilities as defined in clause (i) of section 2 of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995;

9. "Notification" means notification published in the Official Gazette;

10. "Persons" with disability" means a person suffering from any of the conditions relating to autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation or a combination of any two or more of such conditions and includes a person suffering from severe multiple disability;

11. "Prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;

12. "Professional" means a person who is having special expertise in a field, which would promote the welfare of persons with disability;

13. "Registered organization" means an association of persons with disability or an association of parents of persons with disability or a voluntary, as the case may be, registered under section 12;

14. "Regulation" means the regulations made by the Board under this Act;

15. "Severe disability" means disability with eighty percent or more of one or more of multiple disabilities;

16. "Trust" means the National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy Mental Retardation and Multiple Disability constituted under sub section (1) of section 3.