eyeway.org - beyond the I - Does the policy of reservation promote mediocrity?

Beyond the I masthead
an online magazine from eyeway.org

issue 4 may-june 2005
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Focus: job reservations for the blind

Does the policy of reservation promote mediocrity?

Jayati Chandra, Joint Secretary (Disability Division), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, on employment, reservations and job identification:

Jayati Chandra: The purpose of reservation is to ensure that persons with disabilities do not get excluded from the benefits of employment. There is no relaxation in terms of the merit in selection of persons with disabilities and hence, there is no compromise in terms of capability.

Beyond the I: Many people have commented on whether people who get jobs through reservation work as hard as others. Do they even have roles which they can fulfill?

JC: Security of jobs to persons with or without disabilities is the same in government establishments and public sector undertakings. Persons with disabilities perform their job as efficiently as persons without disabilities. Persons with some types of disabilities have represented that their offices are not able to provide them [with an] adequate amount of work due to the environmental factors, that is, non-availability of certain types of software and equipment which are required for their efficient functioning. Efforts are being made to make the environment friendly to persons with disabilities. Efforts are made by the government to provide jobs to persons with disabilities keeping in view their capabilities and hence, they have an important role in the functioning of those departments/undertakings where they are employed.

Beyond the I:Are policy-makers in the best position to decide what jobs blind people can and cannot do?

JC: The government identifies jobs for persons with various types of disabilities with the help of various committees/sub-committees. These committees/sub-committees have experts and NGO representatives of the type of disabilities for which reservation is provided and jobs are identified. Thus, the presence of these persons helps the government in taking a proper view in terms of understanding the nature of jobs that persons with disabilities can perform. This is also true for jobs identified for blind people.

Beyond the I: Section 32 of the Disability Act, 1995, mandates that a review of jobs identified be done every three years, and the list of jobs updated. What has been the case so far?

JC: The Government of India initially identified posts suitable for persons with disabilities in 1986. This list was revised in June 2001. Now, a committee has been set up to review the existing list of posts so that it may be updated and more posts may be identified as suitable for persons with disabilities.

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