Govt to look into demand of raising divyang employees’ retirement age

LUCKNOW : The Uttar Pradesh government will examine whether the retirement age for the “divyang” (disabled) personnel in the state government services can be raised from 60 to 62 years apart from providing a separate quota to the differently abled candidates on the economic ground as demanded by them.

According to people aware of the development, some associations representing state’s around 25 lakh divyang people have recently met chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra on different occasions, presenting a charter of demands to him.

The senior officials, including the additional chief secretary of the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities, also remained present during the meetings.

The associations demanded that retirement age for divyang state government employees be raised to 62 years from the current 60 and extra maternity leave be made available to divyang women personnel considering their problems.

“They also demanded separate quota for the economically weaker among the divyang people,” an official said.

The associations pressed their demand for classification of government jobs clearly specifying as to which jobs can be handed over to which type of divyang personnel like for example clerical work may be earmarked for visually-challenged people or to people challenged in some other way.

It is said that orders for classification for work for the divyang already existed but had not been fully complied with by all the departments.

They also demanded the government to issue orders ensuring preferential treatment of divyang people in police stations and also priority in issuance of physical fitness certificates by chief medical officers (CMOs).

“The divyang associations also demanded the local urban and rural bodies to provide special facilities to divyang people with their own resources apart from the facilities that the government is already making available to them,” the official said.

Director, empowerment of persons with disabilities, Satya Prakash Patel said an 11-point charter of demands received from the divyang people’s association was discussed in the chief secretary’s meeting last week.

“The demands pertain to different departments even as some demands involve policy issues. Now, competent bodies will take a call on the demands,” he said. Around 12 lakh poor people, according to him, received divyang pension in the state.