Disability Rights Body Alleges Assam Government Discontinued Pension Scheme, Left 3,556 Reserved Posts Vacant

The Pratibandhi Suraksha Sangstha, Assam (PSSA) has alleged that the BJP-led state government has failed persons with disabilities (PwDs) on multiple fronts over the past five years, including discontinuing a central pension scheme, leaving thousands of reserved posts unfilled, and withholding welfare benefits.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, PSSA secretary Nripen Malakar said the government had taken no effective steps for the development of PwDs and had instead curtailed several benefits previously available to them under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

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Malakar claimed that the Deendayal Divyang Pension Scheme — launched on December 3, 2017 by the then Vice President of India — had provided monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 to persons with disabilities and benefited 1,60,262 individuals in Assam. He alleged that the state government discontinued the scheme entirely in 2022

Despite repeated discussions with the concerned minister Pijush Hazarika, Malakar alleged that most eligible persons with disabilities have yet to receive financial assistance under the Orunodoi scheme.

On employment, Malakar said the government had identified 4,419 backlog vacancies for PwDs across 23 departments up to 2017. Following an advertisement in 2018, only 863 posts were filled — leaving 3,556 reserved positions still vacant.

The organisation also raised concerns over the state's only higher secondary school for the visually impaired, established in Guwahati in 2019, alleging that the government had not taken adequate steps to fully provincialize the institution. Lack of progress on housing quotas, free medical treatment, and other welfare measures was also criticised.

PSSA urged all political parties to clearly state their positions on disability-related issues in their election manifestos ahead of the upcoming Assam Assembly elections. The organisation warned that if demands remain unaddressed, persons with disabilities across the state may launch protests.

Representatives of disability organisations from different regions of Assam were present at the press conference.