Members of the Joint Action Committee of the Disability Rights Movement of Odisha demanded that the State government should strictly implement existing recruitment guidelines for absorbing people with disabilities in different jobs.

“It is a matter of great concern that, the chief secretary has announced a time bound special recruitment drive for PwDs. However, the order was never translated into action,” said the committee in a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Members of the committee urged that the special recruitment drive in order to fill up all current and backlog vacancies reserved for PwDs should be undertaken by all the State government departments within a time limit of one month by calculating the vacancies with effect from January 1 1996.

The committee also laid emphasis on implementation of three per cent reservation principle as mandated under Section 33 of the PwD Act in case of contractual appointment or outsourcing of employment by any government establishment.

“Odisha is the only State which does not implement the legal provisions as laid down under article 68 of the PwD Act for launching of unemployment allowance scheme for PwDs in case of non-availability of employment opportunities to them within two years from the date of registration in the special employment exchange for the physically handicapped,” said Sanyas Behera, a visually challenged professional and prominent activist.

Mr. Behera charged that the special employment exchange was lying completely dormant and non-functional due to lack of any supervision of the State Labour and Employment Department.

Activists alleged that Orissa Primary Education Programme Authority was denying mandatory reservation in employment for PwDs.