BANGALORE: In spite of a Government notification that reserved three per cent of posts for persons with disabilities in Group A and B and five per cent from Group C and D, the quotas are not being fully filled.

The Department of Administrative and Personnel Reforms (DPAR) has identified 89 posts in 21 government departments in Group A and B that need to be reserved for persons with disabilities. A notification to this effect was issued in September.

DPAR has identified eight positions in Group A category, including the posts of district marketing officer, lecturer and general duty medical officer. The majority of the posts have been identified in Group B category and these include the posts of psychologist, psychiatrist, assistant information publicity officer.

However, persons with disabilities say the Government is not giving them much of a chance and not filling the quotas properly. In fact, during a recent recruitment drive for the post of lecturers, no person with disability was hired. An official of the Directorate of Welfare of Disabled and Senior Citizens says that recruitment of persons with disabilities will take place each time the departments recruit people in those specific posts. Several government departments are also hesitant to recruit persons with disabilities because they do not think they can handle the work efficiently enough, says Pradeep Kumar, former Assistant Commissioner in the office of the Commissioner for Disabilities.

Mr. Kumar says the rota system followed for government recruitment makes it difficult for differently abled persons to get a job. He points out that if the government department is unable to fill the quota for persons with disabilities in a specific year they cannot recruit normal persons for the jobs but have to carry on the vacancies to the next year.

The fight for reservation by persons with disabilities in the government sector has been a long one. The Persons with Disabilities Act 1995 assures reservation as a basic right assured to different abled persons. Persons with disabilities are demanding that more posts be opened up for them.

S. Madhu Sharma, a person with visual impairment, says the Union Government has opened up more posts in more departments for persons with disabilities.

A requirement of persons with disabilities is that posts in categories A and B should be notified in the Karnataka Public Service Commission as well. "When the Union Government can identify positions for the differently abled in Group A and B in the Union Public Service Commission examination, why cannot the State Government do the same? How difficult can the exercise be," asks Mr. Sharma.

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