Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today ordered a special recruitment drive to be conducted across the state to clear the backlog of vacancies for persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the public sector.
To observe the International Day of persons with disabilities, a special event will also be conducted on December 3, an official spokesperson said.
Appointment letters to the newly-recruited persons with disabilities would be handed over, in addition to the distribution of wheelchairs and other aids, on the occasion.
According to the spokesperson, the chief minister has issued detailed guidelines to the Chief Secretary and Special Chief Secretary (Social Security and Development of Women and Children) to clear the backlog of vacancies meant for persons with disability in a time-bound manner on top priority.
As many as 272 disabled persons have been provided employment in the state government, with the remaining vacancies to be filled through the special recruitment drive ordered by the chief minister and already initiated, he said.
According to estimates, there are nearly 6.54 lakh disabled persons in Punjab, constituting 2.35 per cent of the state's total population of 2.77 crore as per the 2011 census.
The state government has already issued 3.82 lakh disability certificates till date, including 23,875 disability certificates issued during 2016-17, the spokesperson said.
On the directive of the chief minister, the Department of Social Security has also been asked to provide wheelchairs and other aids to disabled persons, the spokesperson said, adding that the Amarinder government was committed to the welfare of all sections of the society, particularly the disadvantaged.
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