GUWAHATI, Dec 3: The Assam government is contemplating a special recruitment drive for persons with disabilities.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to the welfare of persons with disabilities on International Day of Persons with Disabilities here on Friday, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said a separate directorate of social justice and empowerment has been opened and notified to expedite socio-economic and academic empowerment of specially-abled people.
“The state government is also planning to conduct a special recruitment drive for the physically-challenged people in Assam,” Sarma said.
The chief minister also informed that the state government, in its bid to help the specially-abled people, has increased the reservation quota to four percent in jobs and educational institutions.
Sarma distributed wheelchairs among 4000 specially-abled people at Kumar Bhaskar Varma Kshetra at Amingaon, assuring that the state government would give wheelchairs and tri-rickshaws to about 50,000 people having mobility challenges, by December 2022.
The department of social welfare in association with Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) and Kamrup district administration observed the day along with the rest of the world in a bid to acknowledge the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.
Speaking on the occasion, Sarma said, “Celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is an opportunity to show our gratitude to specially-abled people who have constituted an important segment of our human resources”.
He also said that the celebration of the day also helps in generating public awareness of the needs of specially-abled people.
“As a mark of gratitude to the specially-abled people, we have decided to upgrade the Deaf and Dumb School at Kahilipara and Blind School at Basistha to the higher secondary level. Moreover, in line with Indian Sign Language, an Assamese Sign Language will be developed for the benefits of the specially-abled people,” the chief minister said.