Bangalore: Indresh, who is wheelchair-bound, cleared the gazetted probationers' examination conducted by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) in 2005. But he and six other physically challenged persons, who had appeared for the examination, are yet to get government jobs despite a Karnataka Administrative Tribunal order.

Though three per cent of jobs in Group A and B posts and five per cent jobs in Group C and D posts in government departments are supposed to be reserved for persons with disabilities according to the provisions of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, very few posts have been filled by appointing such persons.

"If reservation for the disabled had been strictly followed, 25,000 persons with disabilities should have been employed in government departments till now," V. Srirama Reddy, Director, Department for Welfare of the Disabled and Senior Citizens, told The Hindu. Only 1,683 posts in various departments had been filled till now, and another 200 posts in boards and corporations had been filled, he said.

After the Act came into effect in 1995, the Government identified 99 categories under Group C and D, which were reserved for persons with disabilities.

It was only in September 2005 the State Government identified 21 categories for reservation for disabled persons in Group A and B posts.

Though the Act came into effect in 1995, the Government took its own time to issue a notification for reservation of jobs in its departments for persons with disabilities. Even after the notification was issued, not many steps had been taken to ensure that qualified disabled persons got jobs in the government, Mr. Indresh said.

As many as 376 posts identified by the Government under various categories since 1995 in different departments allotted for persons with disabilities, including visually impaired, hearing impaired, physically handicapped and mentally challenged, are vacant, according to officials of the Department of Welfare of the Disabled and Senior Citizens.

These posts are below the mandated numbers if the reservation policy is to be strictly followed.

According to Commissioner for Disabilities L. Krishnamurthy, in many departments, officials were not interested in employing disabled persons.

Review

"There is a need to review the posts identified for certain categories of disabled persons as there is a mismatch between the posts and the type of disability. In some departments, reservation is according to a roster system and when it is the turn of disabled persons, the posts are already filled by other applicants," Mr. Krishnamurthy said.

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