New Delhi: A parliamentary committee has said that lack of updated Census data is depriving persons with disabilities access to grants and schemes, the Deccan Herald reported.According to the 2011 Census, there are 2.69 crore persons with disabilities – a figure that is 12 years old. As a result, the allocation of resources, determination of targets and assessment for trained professionals has fallen short since the projections of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under the social justice ministry still quote the old figure, the report said.The parliamentary committee took note of the number of unique ID cards allotted to those with disabilities. The ministry’s reply in the action taken report says that they have given these ID cards to keep a tab on the actual number of persons with disabilities. “But by the Department’s own admission, they have issued 94.09 lakh UDID cards so far whereas the PwD population even 10 years ago was more than double that number,” the committee’s report highlighted.The committee said it was made aware of surveys being conducted in certain states to determine the updated population of those with disabilities.“The Department can explore results of such surveys for gaining a fair understanding of their target population by adopting an out-of-the-box approach, because the next Census results may take a considerable time to come. The committee feels that there is an urgent requirement to explore innovative solutions to this issue,” the report read.The report mentioned the establishment of two new institutes and several Composite Regional Centres (CRC) to provide rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities. “The Department also envisages to establish at least one CRC in each state irrespective of the size of the population,” it said.The panel, in its report, added that the ministry is also planning to train Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and PWD officials on key accessibility features in buildings to sensitise them towards the importance of accessibility for all, the newspaper reported.The committee said that since both these agencies are primarily responsible for carrying out public works, the training would inform their understanding of how persons with disabilities access public spaces, adding that all states should train their urban planners, architects and relevant execution agencies.