Parliamentary panel seeks compliance data on disability quota in government jobs

New Delhi: In a major push to ensure inclusive employment, a parliamentary panel has sought detailed data on the implementation of the mandatory 4% reservation for differently-abled persons in government jobs across central ministries, departments and autonomous bodies.

Almost a decade after the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, came into force and benchmark disabilities were identified, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment is examining the implementation of the reservation policy. According to sources, the committee wants to examine whether the quota for persons with benchmark disabilities is being implemented and if vacancies are unfilled.

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The panel's inquiry addresses persistent concerns over statutory non-compliance and backlog vacancies across public sector establishments. Under Section 34 of the RPwD Act, 2016, every government establishment is required to reserve at least 4% of total vacancies for persons with benchmark disabilities, defined as those with at least 40% of a specified disability.

The act specifies 1% of the reservation is earmarked for persons with blindness and low vision, 1% for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, 1% for persons with locomotor disabilities (including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy), and 1% for persons with autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability, mental illness and multiple disabilities. To evaluate overall compliance, the committee has sought detailed data comparing the actual proportion of differently-abled employees in each ministry against prescribed 4% benchmark.

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Sources familiar with the development indicated the panel has issued a standardised questionnaire to ministries, seeking structured information on four parameters: total employee strength (overall headcount in each ministry, department or autonomous body across Groups A, B, C and D); reserved post roster (exact number of posts earmarked for persons with benchmark disabilities in accordance with Department of Personnel and Training guidelines); actual representation (count of differently-abled persons currently in service within these designated posts); and backlog vacancies (number of reserved posts lying vacant, along with timelines and recruitment plans for filling them).

A source, who did not wish to be identified, told ET, "The panel also wants to assess under which categories persons with benchmark disabilities are employed in government and identify which specific sub-quotas, if any, remain unfilled." While the DoPT issued comprehensive operational guidelines following the enactment of the 2016 law, systemic gaps have continued to delay full execution.

Administrative bottlenecks like non-identification of suitable posts, delays in recruitment and inadequate workplace accommodations, have historically led to the underrepresentation of persons with disabilities in public employment.