State strives to meet 3% job quota mark for disabled persons in 3 months

The department is yet to clear three years of backlog. Deputy Commissioner in the Disability Department,Vijaya Pawar,said the state government is already implementing the three per cent rule. “There is a gap between the actual number of posts and the positions that have been filled. In 2010,we had about 5,700 vacant posts. It has come down to 3,308 of which process is on to fill 799 posts,” Pawar said.

The department has formed a committe to review the posts for both state and central government offices. Posts have to be created for all these departments and the process is on,Pawar said. The SC has directed departments to compile figures in these departments and give jobs as and when posts are created.

The bench had stated that it was an alarming reality that disabled persons are not getting jobs because of various social barriers and maintained that the government has categorical obligation to provide jobs. Out of the three per cent for disabled persons,one per cent each should be allotted to visually impaired,hearing impaired and physically challenged. A

disabled legally implies a person should be suffering from at least 40 per cent disability to be

eligible.

However,an employee from one of the state government departments said,“What they have not done over the years is practically difficult to complete in three months.” A proper review needs to be undertaken in all

departments.

“Whether it is access to disabled persons or filling up of posts,there needs proper assessment on the total number of employees in each department and the posts to be filled,’’ said another differently abled employee who recently got employed.

Incidentally the posts have been created according to the central government directives and the state government needs to review these departments. Even as the commissionerate of disability is trying to constantly update this,the officials admit that they still have a huge gap.