Priority for disabled in PSC appointments: Minister

Kannur: Minister for health and social justice, K K Shylaja said necessary amendments have been made in order to give first appointment from the public service commission (PSC) rank list to differently-abled candidates.
In her inaugural address at the state-level inauguration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities here on Saturday, the minister said the government has taken steps to clear backlogs in the appointment of the physically-challenged.
“The existing rotation chart of the PSC, as per which the first appointment from the reservation list for the people with disability was made after 32 other appointments, has been amended,” she said.
The minister also said though the differently-abled people have 3% reservation, many posts have been lying vacant. “Steps have been taken to fill the vacancies. Also, the report pertaining to the regularization of the differently-abled people who have worked for at least 100 days as temporary hands is getting ready,” Shylaja said.
The minister further said special identity card would be distributed to eight lakh differently-abled people in the state, which could be used anywhere in the country to avail benefits. “Moreover, the government will remit the premium of economically-backward people covered under Swavlamban health insurance scheme,” she said. The scheme provides Rs two lakh health insurance coverage to the disabled.
A mega camp would be organized in the district in January to distribute aides and appliances worth Rs 50 lakh to the differently-abled, with the support of the central government, said the minister.
In the wake of an incident in Payyannur where an elderly lady was a tortured allegedly by her middle-aged daughter, the social justice department would conduct a state-wide survey to assess the condition of senior citizens, she added.
Earlier in the day, inaugurating Siddha department and ayurvedic ophthalmology unit, ‘Mizhi’ at district ayurveda hospital here, the minister said the hospital would be elevated into a centre of excellence by including it under the ‘Ardram’ scheme. The scheme aims to improve facilities in government hospitals to provide better treatment at a reasonable rate, and make them patient-friendly. Further, the government would consider reducing the working hours of nurses in Ayurveda sector from 12 to eight hours, said the minister.