Maintaining that the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) has not specified reservation of posts for persons with disabilities (PWDs) in its recent advertisement for filling of 670 administrative posts thereby depriving them of their rights, the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (SPCD) has directed the OPSC and General Administration Department (GAD) to take prompt steps to issue necessary corrigendum in this regard.
PWDs Commissioner Minati Behera on Wednesday while hearing the petition filed by Institute of Social Work and Research (ISWAR) State coordinator Sannyas Behera directed the GA department Principal Secretary, the requisition authority, and OPSC Secretary to issue necessary corrigendum mentioning suitability of blind and low vision categories of the visually impaired candidates for the posts of different services in the impugned advertisement and specifying reservation of post for that category.
The commission also directed them to submit a detailed report to it at the earliest to safeguard the rights of the PWDs in employment and afford them opportunity of equal participation in the present recruitment. ISWAR State coordinator Sannyas Behera had moved the commission alleging that OPSC has brought out advertisement for filling up of 670 numbers of different posts, but it has not implemented the reservation of one per cent for the PWDs with visual impairment; that there is no mention of implementation of scribe policy (including compensatory time) and number of posts reserved for each category of PWDs i.e, visually impaired, hearing impaired and orthopaedically handicapped, i.e., locomotor disability.
As it appears in the OPSC advertisement dated 01-07-15 on the requisition of GA Department, for filling up of total 670 number of posts in different services such as 69s post in OAS-A(Junior branch) out of which two posts are reserved for PWDs); 400 posts in ORS out of which 12 posts are reserved for PWDs; 168 post for OT&AS out of which five posts reserved for PWDs but there is no reservation for PWDs against 24 posts for OPS-A(JB) and nine posts in Odisha Co-operative Service.
The last date for filling online application is August 10, 2015 the last date for receipt of application fee is August 12. There is also mention of upper age relaxation and exemption of fees for the PWDs.