The growing awareness of autism, refined diagnostic criteria, and advances in screening have all contributed to the surge in autism diagnoses.

The minister also informed the Assembly that prior to 2016, there were only seven categories of disabilities recognized by the central govt. “With the enactment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, the number of recognized disabilities was expanded to 21 categories,” said the minister.

First Visually Impaired man gets PhD from AMU