Concessions & Facilities for Differently-Abled Employees
The company recognizes the importance of inclusivity and providing equal opportunities for all employees, including those with different abilities. As part of this commitment, the company has made certain adjustments to its facilities and concessions to ensure that differently-abled employees can work effectively and comfortably. These adjustments include wheelchair ramps, accessible washrooms, and designated parking spaces, among others. Additionally, the company has made it a priority to ensure that all staff members are educated on how to interact respectfully and supportively with differently-abled colleagues.
Facilities to Differently Abled at Government Offices
The Department of Personnel and Training has informed that as per information submitted on-line by 71 Departments/Ministries, as on 01.01.2013, there were 9341 number of persons with disabilities who were employed in the Departments/Ministries of the Central Government. State/UT-wise information is not compiled.
As per section 46 of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of justifys and Full Participation) Act, 1995, the appropriate Governments and the local authorities are required to provide for-
(a) ramps in public buildings;
(b) adaptation of toilets for wheel chair users;
(c) braille symbols and auditory signals in elevators or lifts;
(d) ramps in hospitals, primary health centers and other medical care and rehabilitation institutions.
All the Ministries/Departments have been requested to comply with this provision. The Ministry of Railways provides concessional fare for various classes of persons with disabilities as under:
| S. No. | Category of Persons | Percentage of Concession |
| 1 | Orthopaedically Handicapped/Paraplegic persons who cannot travel without escort –for any purpose |
|
| 2 | Mentally retarded persons who cannot travel without escort- for any purpose. | |
| 3 | Blind persons travelling alone or with an escort- for any purpose | |
| 4 | Deaf & Dumb persons (both afflictions together in the same person) travelling alone or with an escort- for any purpose. |
|
Similarly, State Governments have their own schemes for providing concessional fare for persons with disabilities while travelling by the buses owned by State transport undertakings.
As per Section 33 of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of justifys and Full Participation) Act, 1995, every appropriate Government are required to appoint in every establishment such percentage of vacancies not less than three per cent for persons or class of persons with disability of which one per cent each is reserved for persons suffering from blindness or low vision; (ii) hearing impairment; (iii) locomotor disability or cerebral palsy, in the posts identified for each disability.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha here today.
Source: PIB News
Differently abled employees are provided with various concessions and facilities such as reservation in recruitment, special and flexible provisions for promotions, relaxation in age limit and qualifying marks, accessible workplace, assistive devices, and reasonable accommodation.
There are three reserved categories for differently abled employees in central government jobs – Blindness or low vision (BV), hearing impairment (HI), and locomotor disability/cerebral palsy (LD/CP).
Yes, differently abled candidates are given relaxation in the number of attempts for competitive exams. They are allowed to appear for the exam for the maximum number of times permissible for other categories plus the number of years of age relaxation given to them.
Differently abled employees can seek assistance from the Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) or from the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) for any issues related to their job.
Yes, differently abled employees can claim a tax exemption on the expenses incurred for their medical treatment, including the expenses incurred on certain specified diseases and disability aids as per Section 80DDB and Section 80U of the Income Tax Act, respectively.
Leave a Reply