Job quota for persons with disabilities increases by 3%

SHC requested to order implementation of 5% quota in government jobs

KARACHI: Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has assured government jobs will be provided to persons with disabilities in April, for which he issued necessary directives to the chief secretary to expedite the process.

This he said while holding a meeting with representatives of persons with disabilities at CM House on Tuesday.

He said there was a 2% quota for persons with disabilities in government jobs, which he had enhanced to 5%. "Since the overall recruitment process was taking time, a separate process for persons with disabilities was started and now their interviews are almost finished," he told the representatives.

Shah said that he was trying to establish a place for persons with disabilities on the basis of their abilities. "We are not giving you any favour. It is your right to lead a respectable life and become an effective citizen of our country, which is why I am holding the sixth meeting today," he said.

The representatives of persons with disabilities thanked the chief minister for his support and personal interest.

The chief minister held another meeting with ministers Jam Mehtab Dahar, Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon and secretaries of different departments.

He said that the interview process of persons with disabilities has almost come to an end. "I want you to work out department-wise vacancy positions with the 5% quota allocated for persons with disabilities so that they can be issued offer orders on merit accordingly," he directed Memon.

Shah also directed the secretaries of all provincial departments to work out vacancy positions and hand the list over to the chief secretary. "We are going to give jobs to persons with disabilities purely on merit," he said.



 

Replies sought on petition regarding job quota

The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed on Tuesday the provincial chief secretary and others to submit their replies regarding the implementation of 5% quota in government jobs for persons with disabilities.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, directed them to submit such replies by March 28, when the matter will be taken up again.

A group of eight persons with disabilities along with a non-government organisation, Justice Helpline, had approached the SHC, seeking implementation of the job quota.

The petitioners, including Sumbul, Rubina and others, informed the bench that they had applied for employment in different government departments as per their qualification. Many departments had conducted their interviews and tests and also issued disability certificates to them, the said.

The petitioners complained that though the health and social welfare ministries had formed the National Council for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons, no facilities were provided by the respondents for the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.

The judges were informed that the petitioners had tried to get employment in different government departments as per their education and quota provided for them but in vain. "The petitioners even held protests on which the Sindh chief minister had assured them that they would be appointed in different departments as well as their quota would be increased from 2% to 5%," Advocate Naseem Shaikh informed the court.

The lawyer added that the Disabled Persons (Employment and Rehabilitation) Ordinance, 1981 was promulgated to create employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in industrial and commercial establishments. However, the law had not achieved its objectives as guidelines for building infrastructure to facilitate such persons to work in organisations were not made, Advocate Shaikh added.

The SHC was pleaded to seek a report from the authorities concerned regarding the implementation of 5% quota for persons with disabilities. The court was further requested to direct them to implement the same.

During Tuesday's proceedings, the judges came down hard on the chief secretary and others concerned for failing to implement the law.

The bench ordered the chief secretary and others to submit their replies by March 28.