Bhubaneswar: In compliance with an order of High Court, Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena has asked all Departments to strictly implement the provision set in RPwD Act for reservation of PwDs in the Government Services.
The Chief Secretary has issued a circular to Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Secretaries of all Departments and all RDCs, Collectors and Chief Engineer, Buildings for implementation of the reservation provision.
In an order issued on August 23, 2023, the Orissa HC had said, “Having regard to section 34 of RPwD Act, we direct the State Government to publish the roaster in each Department showing posts under 4% reservation for PwDs in terms of the above provisions as extracted above. The entire exercise shall be completed within a period of three months from today.”
After the roaster is published, vacancies that will be available to be filled up by the PwDs shall be filled up within the next six months without fail, the court had directed.
The Rights for Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 in Section 34 mandates that every appropriate Government shall appoint in every Government establishment, not less than four per cent of the total number of vacancies in the cadre strength in each group of posts meant to be filled with persons with benchmark disabilities.
Of which, one percent each shall be reserved for persons with benchmark disabilities, i.e blindness and low vision (1%), deaf and hard of hearing (1%), locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy (1%); and autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness, multiple disabilities (1%).
In this regard, the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Department has already issued letters to all concerned establishments twice for necessary compliance of order of the High Court.
So, the Chief Secretary sought personal attention of the head of the departments for submission of compliance in this regard.
