To clear the backlog of vacancies for persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the public sector, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered a special State-wide recruitment drive.
The Government will also be organising a special event on December 3 to observe the International Day of persons with disabilities. Appointment letters to the newly-recruited persons with disabilities would be handed over, in addition to the distribution of wheelchairs and other aids, on the occasion.
Spokesperson said the Chief Minister has issued detailed guidelines to the Chief Secretary and Special Chief Secretary (Social Security and Development of Women and Children) to clear the backlog of vacancies meant for persons with disability in a time-bound manner on top priority.
As many as 272 disabled persons have been provided employment in the state government, with the remaining vacancies to be filled through the special recruitment drive ordered by the chief minister and already initiated, said the spokesperson.
According to estimates, there are nearly 6.54 lakh disabled persons in Punjab, constituting 2.35 per cent of the State’s total population of 2.77 crore as per the 2011 Census.
The State Government has already issued 3.82 lakh disability certificates till date, including 23,875 disability certificates issued during 2016-17, the spokesperson said.
On the Chief Minister’s directives, the Department of Social Security has also been asked to provide wheelchairs and other aids to disabled persons, the spokesperson said, adding that the Capt Amarinder government was committed to the welfare of all sections of the society, particularly the disadvantaged.
Besides providing monthly disability pension of Rs 750 each to nearly 1.60 lakh beneficiaries, it extends several facilities to the PWDs, including 50 percent bus fare concession in government buses and free travel facility to the visually impaired.
The State Government is also running special schools for disabled persons, in which 3428 Children with Disabilities (CWDs) are enrolled from 1st to 8th standard and 233 are studying in Class IX to XII.
The students are given scholarship of Rs 600 per month by the Education Department. In addition, students up to XII standard are also given textbooks free of cost.
A special Braille printing press and an employment exchange for the disabled at ludhiana are some of the other initiatives in place for these people. A total of 776 disabled unemployed are registered at the exchange while Braille Press is used for printing of Braille books as per Punjab School Education Board (PESB) for students up to XII standard, free of cost.
In addition, an unemployment allowance of Rs 450 up to XII standard and Rs 600 above XII standard is also being paid.
As per the provision of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, the Housing and Urban Development Department provides three percent
reservation in allotment of plots or flats to disabled persons, in addition to it five percent rebate in price of these plots or flats.