Shillong, Oct 4: Amid concern over improper implementation of job reservation norms for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in Meghalaya, the expert committee on State Reservation Policy a public hearing has been requested not to neglect the 4% reservation for PwDs in the state.
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and Meghalaya State Policy for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities mandate 4% reservation for PwDs in all government jobs, according to Carmo Noronha, secretary of Bethany Society, an organisation working for empowerment of PwDs.
“The new State Reservation Policy should not neglect the 4 % reservation for PwDs in Meghalaya,” Noronha said after making his submission to the committee during a public hearing on Thursday.
He also lamented that despite the government’s efforts, the 4% reservation for PwDs in government jobs has not been implemented properly.
“We feel it should be there at district level for all PwDs as per the law and their qualification…,” he added.
Pointing out anomalies in the count of PwDs in the state, Noronha said, “As per the census, it’s 2.1%, but we believe it is much more than that.”
He said the ratio of PwDs in the state could be between 8 to 10% as per international data.
“But the government is going by the census figures, which is a challenge in proper identification of PwDs,” he added.
