M A I N   N E W S

UPSC loses vision for disabled
Smriti Kak
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 12
It took a rejection letter from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to make Ravi Kumar, a person with very low vision, to realise he is disabled. “I did not know I am a visually disabled person till I took the civil services examination”, says Ravi, an aspirant who despite having cleared the prestigious examination has been turned down by the UPSC on the grounds of “visual disability”.

The fact that Ravi Kumar secured 325th rank in the general category despite his low vision offers no respite ...the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) considers him unfit for “all services”.

It is to seek justice for Ravi and scores of disabled aspirants, who are turned down every year by the UPSC on grounds of their disability, that the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) has announced a campaign.

“For the DoPT the only consideration was my six by 60 vision, not my score. I just want to ask them why do they invite ‘disabled people’ like me to write the exam when they have nothing to offer” questions Ravi.

Statistics collected by the NCPEDP is appalling. Out of the hundreds of posts there is not a single post for those with visual disability. “There are posts for those with locomotor disability and in some cases for those with hearing disability, but for the low or no vision there are absolutely no jobs. This is pathetic”, pointed out the Executive Director, NCPEDP, Mr Javed Abidi.

He went on to add, “there are officers in the services, who are serving despite disabilities. There are people, who have become disabled after joining the services, have not been thrown out. Then why is the UPSC discriminating against the disabled aspirants? It has made itself disabled-friendly as an institution by allowing concessions during the examination and stopped at that”.

It was pointed out that many of the disabled people, who have secured ranks that merit them jobs in the IAS, are consciously given jobs much below their ranks. “If the candidate deserves a job in the IAS, he is given the Indian Information Services, which is far below his rank”, said Mr Abidi.

He added, “even in Parliament in response to a question it was pointed out by the concerned minister that there was one per cent reservation for low or no vision candidates. Whereas the truth is that there is not even one post kept aside for them”.

Seeking action and demanding a change in the attitude of the DoPT, the NCPEDP claims that by inviting disabled candidates, including those with visual impairment, providing concessions like amanuensis and extra time and then rejecting them is “a practical joke played on the disabled”.