SHILLONG, Aug 24: The members of the Federation of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) on Wednesday met with Social Welfare Minister, Kyrmen Shylla to impress upon the state government to fulfil their five-point charter of demands.
The federation submitted a memorandum on its charter of demands. A similar memorandum was submitted to the minister on February 4, 2020.
The demands include an increment in the monthly unemployment allowance for the PwDs who have cleared the 10th standard or above from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 and the regularisation of the services of the PwDs on muster roll in different government departments in the group D category.
Increasing the unemployment allowance by Rs 2,000 would help the PwDs meet the basic necessities of life in adherence to section 24 clause 3(h) in chapter V of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act of 2016, the federation said.
The federation also demanded a five-year relaxation of the age limit from 42 to 47 years for the employment of Scheduled Tribe PwDs in the government sector in conformity with section 34 clause 3 of chapter VI of the RPwD Act.
Referring to another section of the Act, the federation sought the appointment of a member in the Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC) and one each in all the 12 District Selection Committees (DSCs) to focus on the job recruitment for the PwDs.
It also demanded the identification of posts for the PwDs before sending the advertisements to the MPSC and the DSCs.
The federation further suggested that the government should instruct private schools, colleges and vocational institutions to reserve seats for and admit the PwDs, as done by the state-run institutions.
Shylla told reporters that he would try his best to see how the federation’s demands can be fulfilled. “I shall discuss this matter with Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma,” he said.
He also said the officials concerned have been asked to give reasons for the delay in fulfilling the demands of the federation since 2020. “The officials were not able to give a satisfactory reply,” he added.
Ibadalin Kharbuli, the general secretary of the federation said the minister assured them of an update on the status of their demands in writing. “We are happy with the commitment he showed,” she said, adding that the federation will wait for Shylla’s response before deciding on its next course of action.
