Region: India, Asia

Main Areas Of Interest: human rights, disability

Fellowship Period: April -June 2006

Keywords: social justice, empowerment and protection

Biographical Profile:
As coordinator at "The Rehabilitation Council of India" (RCI) under the "Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment", Minal planned, organized and coordinated various activities in the western part of India.

She is the Founder and Trustee of Setu Developmental Intervention Centre and is in charge of conceptualizing and implementing as well as overseeing the overall activities of the organization. At Eklavya School she designed the day school as part of the project team. She was elected an Ashoka Fellow in 2003.Through Minal's initial interactions with human rights activists and policy makers, as well as organizations working for the protection of the disadvantaged groups she has developed a rudimentary understanding of various issues involved in implementing a "Rights Based" approach to development.

During her time at ICTE, Minal chose to focus on seeking support for the proposed petition on Inclusion of Disabilities in the Millennium Declaration from organizations involved with disability development and human rights issues in the United States.