Section 33 of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 stipulates that as a matter of policy, 3% reservation in the posts under the Government be provided for people with disabilities (PWDs); reserving 1% for persons suffering from each disability i.e. (i) blindness or low vision; (ii) hearing impairment; (iii) locomotor disability or cerebral palsy.

Keeping in line with the above policy, the Department has initiated measures towards implementing these provisions. All the establishments under the Department have been issued instructions to prepare the reservation roster registers for PWDs on yearly basis. As per the guidelines of the DOP&T, a fresh Special Recruitment Drive for filling up the backlog reserved vacancies of PWDs has been launched in the Department and all its attached and subordinate offices, autonomous bodies etc.

The organizations under the administrative control of the Department of Commerce have undertaken various measures for the welfare of the PWDs, which are given in the following paragraphs. A Statement showing the total number of Government employees and the number of PWDs in different categories in the Department of Commerce, its attached/subordinate offices, PSUs, autonomous bodies etc. under its administrative control is given in the Annexure 15.1.

DGFT

None of the posts has got exempted from the purview of the reservation orders. The DGFT office takes due care in the administration and compliance of the reservation orders. DGFT (Hqrs) examines and rectifies wherever necessary the roster maintained by the four Zone offices for ensuring representation to PWDs. The office also provides relevant guidelines to the Zonal office of DGFT in accordance with the instructions issued by the DOPT from time to time.

 IIFT

• Relaxation of 5% marks in written tests for appointment/promotion is allowed to candidates belonging to reserved categories.

• Advertisements have been released for appointment of PWD in Group A and Group C posts.

India Trade Promotion Organisation

The provisions contained in PWDs (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 regarding reservation in posts/services for disabled persons were complied with.

Tobacco Board

Tobacco Board is following the rules/guidelines issued by the Government of India from time to time for the benefit of PWDs.

APEDA

The PWDs were provided with congenial and comfortable working atmosphere and were assigned light nature of work suited to them. It has been proposed to provide a wheel chair to an officer with locomotion disability.

STC Ld.

In case of promotion, relaxation in qualifying period of service by one year up to the level of Office Manager (Group B) is being allowed at each stage as compared to the General category employees.

• Conveyance allowance @ 5% per month subject to maximum of Rs.100/- in addition to conveyance reimbursement being allowed to the employees as per rules of the Corporation.

• Relaxation in upper age limit by 10 years at the time of appointment.

• As a special case, Managers having more than 60% disability were promoted to the next higher grade without immediate transfer.

PEC Limited

Out of a total manpower of 197 employees as on 31.3.2009, 4 are physically disabled persons. The government directives/instructions with regard to PWDs are duly complied with in PEC. Following specific measures for PWD are also undertaken in PEC:-

• The limits of reimbursement of conveyance expenses to OH employees, who do not possess their own vehicle and re using any other mode of conveyance, are double the normal rates being paid to other employees.

• Relaxation in promotion:- For Group B and C, the promotion policy is time bound where a relaxation of one year at all the level in the number of qualifying years of service has been provided to the employees with disability vis-à-vis general category employees in PEC.

Export Inspection Council of India

Arrangements are always made to assign relatively lesser load of work to enable them to perform their jobs effectively. Further, these employees are generally posted near their home towns and efforts are made to assign the work suitable to them. In addition, the genuine grievances, if any, of these officials are also sorted out without delay by the department.