Govt announces more steps to increase disabled in Civil Services

New Delhi, Apr 27 (UNI) In a major decision seeking to augment the representation of the physically-challenged in the Civil Services, the Centre has decided that disabled people who are selected on the standards as applicable to the non-disabled candidates of his category, will be counted over and above the quota fixed for them.

''This is exactly on the lines of the existing system that is applied in the case of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes candidates,'' official sources said here today.

It was also decided that the physically challenged persons belonging to the General Category would be eligible for seven attempts in Civil Services Examination as against existing four attempts, a Spokesman for the Home Ministry said, while pointing out that additional relaxation of ten years in the upper age limit for physically challenged would continue.

The physically challenged belonging to the OBC Category and SC and ST category would continue to be eligible for seven and unlimited attempts respectively.

The Government has also announced that while reservation for the three categories of disability--visual impairment, hearing impairment and locomotor disability or cerebral palsy-- shall be made separately, the interchange in the vacancies among the three categories would be possible in case of non-availability of persons of a specified category.

A specially constituted Medical Board with experts in the area will examine the physically challenged so that fair, consistent reports are available.

To ensure the full utilisation of quota for the physically challenged,it has been decided to treat the backlogs with respect to physically challenged in the same way as for the SC and ST categories.

Union Public Service Commission will recommend physically challenged candidates after ensuring that they meet the prescribed eligibility criteria in terms of abilities and disabilities for identified services where vacancies exist.

The eligibility for availing reservation against the quota for the physically challenged would be the same as described in the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995.

Specific eligibility criteria as set by the Government for identified services and posts would have to be met by physically disabled candidates.

The implementation of these decisions will be with prospective effect, the spokesman said.

UNI