The Punjab government would soon clear the backlog of posts reserved for physically challenged persons in all the departments within a month.A decision to this effect was taken by the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal during a meeting with a delegation of Punjab Handicapped Union led by the State President Mr. Balwant Singh Dardi here at Chief Minister’s Residence this afternoon.The Chief Minister asked the Secretary Social Security to ensure that all these vacant posts in various departments, which had already been advertised, must be filled within a month. Mr. Badal also directed him to pursue the case for enhancing the existing limit of loan for physically challenged persons from Rs. 5 lac to Rs. 10 lac with Government of India.The Chief Minister also decided to allow free education to the disabled children and the wards of physically challenged persons upto class 12th in the government and government aided schools.In another significant decision, the Chief Minister also approved to convert 162 vacancies of JBT/ETT teachers exclusively meant for physically challenged persons into hobby teachers so as to facilitate them to discharge their duties professionally with much ease.Realizing the hardships faced by the 100% physically challenged persons, the Chief Minister also asked the Social Security Department to prepare a comprehensive proposal for recommending a suitable hike in the pension for these disabled persons so that a final decision in this regard could be taken by the state Cabinet at the earliest.
Likewise, he also directed the department of Social Security to thoroughly examine the case for extending benefits to the physically challenged persons under Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojana.Showing empathy with the physically challenged persons, the Chief Minister categorically asked the Secretary Social Security to ensure that their grievances should be redressed on the priority at the district level instead of coming to state headquarters, for which they suffer lot of difficulties and undergo traumatic experience. Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included; Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Social Security & Development of Women and Children Mrs. F. Nisara Khatoon (Farzana Alam), Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. SK Sandhu, Secretary Health Mr. Hussan Lal, Secretary Transport Mr. Anurag Verma, Secretary Social Security Mr. Anurag Aggarwal, Director Social Security Mr. Gurloveleen Singh Sidhu and Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities Mr. B. Sarkar.