Pakistan Association of the Blind protest continued outside Punjab Assembly

Lahore: A spokesperson of Social Welfare Department said that a group of visually impaired persons staged a protest against the government over alleged non fulfillment of orders of Chief Minister for their recruitment against disabled quota in government employment.

He said a delegation of the Pakistan Association of the Blind had met with the Chief Minister for redressal of their contentions previously.

The Chief Minister subsequently accorded approval to lifting of ban on recruitment against reserved quota for the disabled and enhancement of the disabled quota in Government employment from 2% to 3%. Therefore, on 26.12.2014 vide Notification of S&GAD No. SOR-IV(S&GAD)10-5/2003 (Ban) the ban on reserved quota for the disabled was relaxed. This has been circulated across all the departments and district Governments to initiate recruitment process as laid down under appointment policy of the Government. Secondly the disabled quota for employment was raised from 2% to 3% by the provincial assembly in March 2015.

He said it is pertinent to mention here that immediate steps to redress the contention of the disabled have been taken by the Government. 207 visually impaired individuals were granted employment on daily wage basis immediately in March 2015 . On the parallel after lifting of ban on disabled quota 1200 posts have been advertised by provincial departments & another 1754 by 36 district governments.

The recruitment procedure is governed under the recruitment policy of the Government to ensure transparency of procedure and recruitment on merit and requires an estimated 2-3 months period for completion. Additionally over 3000 vacant posts under 916 private establishments in various districts have also been identified for recruitment of disabled.

The spokesman said Punjab’s share in the overall unemployment rate of the country is the highest, therefore adjusting the visually blind alone when general unemployment is rampant is not a task that will resolve itself overnight. It is interesting to note that most of the protestors comprise of individuals already employed on daily wage basis and are further demanding regularization of jobs without going through regular employment procedure, which is not admissible under rules for the Government for sake of transparency. As evident from data it would be highly unfair to other category of disabled including the physically disabled or the hearing/ mentally impaired individuals as well.

He said Punjab government has further extended various incentives to the disabled for their ease of living which among inter alia include; age relaxation up to 10 years in the upper age limit of PWDs for entering into Government Service; PPSC has waived off the admission fee for persons with disabilities while applying for job; a helper is allowed to sit in CSS and other competitive exams with blind applicants; no age Limitation for taking admission in any Educational Institution of Punjab; all educational Charges including Tuition fee, Hostel fee and Utility Charges have been waived off for PWDs including Visually Impaired; one seat reserved for admission in Higher education i.e. MPhil and Ph.D; on admission at Public University, a laptop will be awarded to PWDs as an incentive and  Wheelchair will be provided on passing out from University; 10% Quota in all educational Institutions supporting Inclusive Education; provision of free medical treatment to PWDs and their family members in all Government Hospitals/Dispensaries; Punjab Bait ul Maal reserved 10% quota of annual financial grant for persons with disabilities; Zakat & Ushar Department is offering Guzara Allowance 1000 per month. Social Welfare & Bait ul Maal Department disbursed 25 lac through District Rehabilitation & Training Committee to persons with disabilities in different rehabilitative moods i.e. financial assistance, artificial limbs and medical treatment etc. in January 2015. An income support program for the disabled in Punjab is also under consideration by the Punjab Social Protection Authority.

He said as part of national policy access to banking services exclusively for the visually impaired have been introduced and a 50% concession in Air, Rail and Road fare is applicable to the disabled.

He said despite the best efforts of the Government of the Punjab to redress the issues of the disabled in the province, it is perturbing to see the visually impaired protest against the government.  Such protests will only hinder the long term solution to the issues of the disabled as the protestors demand quick fixes that like daily wage award are not permanent solutions. All such protest and demands are devoid of fact and baseless allegations against Government. As such Chief Minister commitments given to the disabled delegation have been fulfilled in letter and spirit.