Disability quota in medical PG admissions raised to 5%

New Delhi: The Health Ministry on Wednesday approved amendments to the regulation for admission to PG medical courses to expand the scope of persons with disabilities getting the benefit of reservation. The percentage of seats to be filled by persons with disabilities has been increased from 3 to 5 in accordance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

Health Minister JP Nadda said after 25 years, the government has taken a historic decision for the welfare of differently abled. Now, persons with 21 kinds of disabilities (as mentioned in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016) can apply for PG admissions. These include blindness, low vision, leprosy-cured persons, hearing impairment, locomotor disability, dwarfism, intellectual disability,  mental illness, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy and acid-attack victims. TNS