Specially abled persons are really special in the sense that what we normally achieve under normal circumstances is a struggle for them. Few specially-abled people are mentally strong enough to overcome their shortcomings, get educated, and live life with pride. Their life is a struggle, and from birth through childhood and college, each stage is a big hurdle that they have to overcome. Like ordinary children, they have their dreams and ambitions in life. The policies of the administration are always to encourage and support such persons at all levels, from admissions to scholarships for studies and jobs; at every step, the Govenment is there to help them out. According to law, the Govenment has provided 4% of jobs for them with reservations after much deliberation, planning, and consideration, and every state and UT must follow the set rules of reservations. The goal is simple: provide them with an opportunity to sustain their lives with dignity. Every specially-abled person has to appear before a medical board to get the disability certificate, and then only he or she can apply for the job. It may have been difficult for a disabled person to do the job, but with the advancement of science and subsequent gadgets, and in this digital era, it is not so difficult now. Online interpretation tools and assisting equipment are available, and as such, their utility in different fields is not hampered much now. India is proud to have Maharashtrian-born IAS Officer Pranjal Patil as the first blind IAS Officer of India. Only last week, Sunil Kumar became the first deaf and mute student from Jammu and Kashmir to graduate with a Master’s degree in Computer Applications (MCA). Two other alumni from the same school did BCA, and two girls secured jobs in the J&K Finance Department. All these examples are a testimony that these specially-abled persons have the talent, determination and zeal to stand up in their lives on their own.
But certain departments of Jammu and Kashmir UT are ignoring the set reservation rules. It is alleged that they are flouting the carry-forward norm for the advertised posts. The rule is clear: if the administration is unable to fill up the 4% of vacancies set aside for the specially-abled, then they have to keep them separate and re-advertise later on or club them separately in the next recruitment process. The eligible candidates are crying foul and citing various recent advertisements with specific allegations. The Higher Education Department has prepared the basic roster with the alleged anomalies as explained by JKPSC, in consultation with the Social Welfare Department. Due to this, many eligible, physically challenged candidates had not been able to apply in the past, and year after year, the same set of rules and omissions continue. There is no clarity in the advertised post, though it is mandatory to bifurcate the vacancies as per set norms, somehow PSC and Higher Education Department are not following the rules. Even though an addendum had been issued, there is still no clarity. No official is ready to clarify the current position despite representation by the candidates to highlight the discrepancies. Every year, multiple delegations have been assured of justice, but the next year, the same procedure is being followed. The matter is serious in the sense that many opportunities had been lost by these deserving candidates with no fault of theirs. The administration must look into the allegations and come out with a course correction if there are discrepancies. The deserving candidates must be compensated with additional vacancies in the next advertisement. Candidates have reached here after much struggle, and very few opportunities are available in the private sector due to a lack of trust in their abilities. As such, no opportunity should be taken away from these candidates, as a Govenment job is an assured gateway to living life with dignity.
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