Resentment among selected candidates with disabilities: Who is responsible?

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: A total of 820 candidates with disabilities had been selected for recruitment to Grade III and Grade IV posts. They had even been allotted their departments. But the State-level Recruitment Commission constituted a special medical board to examine these candidates on May 15. Based on the recommendations of this special medical board, the State-level Recruitment Commission published a list of candidates who have qualified the medical examination. In this list, the names of around 413 candidates, who had been selected earlier, were omitted. This has caused much disappointment and resentment among the rejected candidates.

As per the recruitment advertisement issued by the government, persons with benchmark disabilities will be qualified for recruitment to posts reserved for disabled people. Benchmark disability refers to having at least 40% disability of any type recognized under the Rights of Persons with disabilities Act 2016 (RPWD Act 2016). The applicants were asked to submit disability certificates issued by the district medical authority under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. The State-level Recruitment Commission then published a list of 820 candidates with disabilities who had been selected for recruitment to Grade III and Grade IV posts.

However, there are allegations that some candidates had submitted fake disability certificates. The State-level Recruitment Commission then constituted a special medical board on May 15, 2023 for the medical examination of the selected 820 candidates to examine their disability percentage. Based on the recommendations of the special medical board, the State-level Recruitment Commission published a list of 298 candidates who had qualified the medical examination. Around 413 candidates who had been selected earlier were omitted from this list because their disability condition is not 40% and above. One such example is the candidate with certificate number AS0510019960029589 of Morigaon who has 40% hearing disability according to the certificate issued by the district medical authority. But this candidate failed to clear the medical examination of the special medical board and her name was not there in the final list of selected candidates.

The hopes of the rejected candidates have been dashed. Till a few days ago they were rejoicing for getting selected for recruitment to Grade III and Grade IV posts and today their names do not feature in the final list. Who is responsible for the emotional turmoil and mental agony that these candidates are suffering now for no fault of their own? These candidates had been issued disability certificates by certified authorities. But according to the special medical board they did not have the required benchmark disability. Will the government now take action against the district medical authorities? If the State-level Recruitment Commission had constituted the special medical board earlier and then published the list of selected candidates, the rejected candidates would not have faced such disappointment.

According to sources, there was a rush on the part of the government to declare the results of the recruitment exams for Grade III and Grade IV posts. Parents and guardians of rejected candidates are now claiming that they had submitted genuine disability certificates but yet their children got rejected after being selected earlier. Who will take responsibility for these dashed hopes?

Also Read: Awareness programme on multiple disabilities organized in Morigaon

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