The Punjab Government has decided to immediatelyclear the backlog of the posts reserved for the blind and partiallyblind persons in the state. 

An assurance to this effect was given by PunjabChief Minister  Parkash Singh Badal to a delegation of NaterheenJagarities Sangh Punjab (visually challenged persons) led by GeneralSecretary Prof. Rajnish Mahal which called on  Badal and submitted acharter of demands to him here at his official residence thisafternoon. 

Badal asked the state ChiefSecretary to direct all the Administrative Secretaries and Heads of theDepartments to intimate the position of vacant posts in their concerneddepartments reserved for the blind and partially blind persons so thatthese posts could be filled on the top priority.  The Chief Ministeralso asked the Secretary Social Security to undertake an exercise toidentify the posts where such visually challenged persons could beadjusted as they had tremendous capabilities and capacities.  Mr. Badalalso asked the department of school education to utilize the servicesand skills of visually impaired persons for teaching the subjects likevocal & instrumental music and art & craft. 

Likewisethe Chief Minister also assured the members of the delegation thatstate government would soon seek an opinion of the Advocate General toensure that the posts reserved for blind and partially blind personsshould be strictly given to the eligible persons only under thiscategory on the Haryana pattern and not to the other categories likehearing impaired and orthopedically challenged. 

TheChief Minister also asked the Secretary Social Security to personallyvisit the state institute for blind at Jamalpur in Ludhiana districtthis week to have first hand information about the short comings in theinstitute in terms of infrastructure and staff besides the hardshipsfaced by the blind students.  He also promised to install a new inbrowsour machine for the printing of brail books and literature for theblind students at a cost of Rs.32 lakh for the Jamalpur Instituteduring the current financial year.  The Chief Minister also assuredthat the state government would extent all possible help and financialassistance to the institute to make it as one of the best institutes inthe region after Dheradun in Uttrakhand. 

Prominentamongst who were present in the meeting included Social SecurityMinister Ch. Swarna Ram, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister to ChiefMinister DS Guru, Principal Secretary Social Security NS Kang,Commissioner for Disabilities Harjit Singh, Director Social SecurityMs.Rakhi Gupta Bhandari, Additional Principal Secretary to ChiefMinister Parveen Kumar and DPI Schools Dr.JS Khatra.