Special drive to fill vacancies for disabled persons

A special drive to fill vacant posts for persons with disabilities has been initiated by the Centre.
"All ministries or departments are requested to take immediate necessary action for filling up of vacancies for persons with disabilities," an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.
The move comes following a direction from the Supreme Court last month. The apex court in its interim order dated April 28, in the matter of National Federation of Blind, had directed that the period for filling up of vacancies of persons with disabilities needs to be suitably compressed.
The DoPT has set the outer time frame for filling up of vacancies where recruitment action has already been started and asked all ministries to finalise the appointments by December 31, this year.

Whereas, in case of vacancies where recruitment action is yet to be initiated, the last date for issue of appointment to selected candidates has been kept February 1, 2016.
All the ministries, departments, subordinate offices, central public sector undertakings and autonomous bodies are requested to take action in this regard, the DoPT said.

The DoPT has recently asked all government departments to try to retain the services of any employee seeking voluntary retirement on medical grounds or citing disability.
The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, or the PWD Act, states that no establishment shall dispense with the services of an employee who acquires a disability during the course of service.

It has been decided that whenever a government servant seeks voluntary retirement citing medical grounds or due to disability, administrative authorities shall advise him or her about the option of continuing in service with the same pay scale and service benefits, the DoPT has said in another order.
"If however, despite being so advised, such government servant still wishes to take voluntary retirement, the request may be processed," it said.