Imphal, March 01: Chief Minister O Ibobi today informed the House that steps have been taken up to amend the recruitment rules of the Manipur Public Service Commission and added that the process of amending the existing rules will be completed within two months.

Answering to a public interest issue raised by MLAs L Ibomcha, O Joy and S Gopal, the Chief Minister said that the present recruitment rules of the MPSC do not have the provisions to allow a totally blind person to appear for the written exam with the help of a scribe.

Stating that even the Union Public Service Commission has issued a notification in January this year barring the entry of blind persons to the IAS, IPS and IFS, the Chief Minister said that the State Government will study what services can be kept open for the blind and physically challenged persons.

The amendment of the MPSC recruitment rules will be effected along this line.

The Chief Secretary has been instructed to study what type of Class I and Class II posts can be kept opened for the physically challenged persons in each Government Department.

A one month time frame has also been set to submit the report sought, added the Chief Minister.

In two months time the Government will be able to identify the posts which can be kept reserved for the physically challenged persons and accordingly the existing recruitment rules of the MPSC will be amended.

The Discussion on a Matter of Public Interest was moved against the backdrop of the demand raised by the physically challenged persons to implement the Persons With Disabilities (Equal opportunities, protection of rights and full participation) Act, 1995 (PWD Act).

The demand was raised after a blind candidate was not allowed to sit for the recently held preliminary examination of the MPSC to recruit MCS, MPS, SDC and other officers.

Moving the discussion, MLA L Ibomcha said that the stipulated rules that 3 pc of Government jobs should be reserved for physically challenged persons is applied only to Class III and Class IV posts.

Reacting to the observations of Ibomcha, Social Welfare Minister W Leima said that the PWD Act was passed by Parliament in 1995 and was implemented across the country on February 7, 1996 with the exception of Jammu and Kashmir.

Before this Act was passed in Parliament, Manipur had kept 3 percent of Government jobs in Class III and Class IV reserved for physically challenged persons, she said.

The Social Welfare Department is just the nodal agency and it is up to the other Departments to do the needful, said Leima and added that the Social Welfare Department has been extending all possible help to the physically challenged persons.

Ibomcha agreed with the contention of Leima that it is up to the different Departments to do the needful, but pointed out that in almost all cases, whenever recruitment notification is issued, there is no mention of keeping 3 pc of the jobs reserved for disabled persons.

Replying to the points raised by the MLA, W Leima said that it would be wrong to say that the PWD Act has not been implemented in the State.

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