KARACHI: With around 42,000 disabled people in the province, the Sindh authorities have admitted that they were unable to enforce two per cent job quota of disabled people, in its true spirit, in every government department and private organisation.
Social Welfare Department Deputy Director Riaz Fatima said, “Several government and private entrepreneurs are neither implementing job quota of two per cent for disabled people in their organisations nor they had submitted a penalty amount that is minimum wage of the person to be employed – Rs12,000 – in the government accounts for not employing at this quota.”
She said the collected amount was then spent on the welfare of the disabled people.
Talking to The Nation at her office, Riaz Fatima – who also heads a cell in the department for the betterment of disabled people – admitted that majority of the government and private departments or organsiations do not implement the quota. They wrote a letter to them to either implement it or submit the penalty fees.
Fatima said earlier the private companies were answerable to federal government for implementation of the disabled quota, however, after the devolution of department under the 18th amendment, the companies would now be answerable to the provincial department.
She said the provincial government had reconstituted the Provincial Council for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons on August 8, 2014 which comprises of 18 members including Secretary social welfare department, representation of NGOs and others from various government departments.
She said the council had initiated its working and they had held a meeting where it was decided that government would push public or private organisations for its implementation and also ensure awareness among the associations for disabled people. “We are organising a seminar on December 10 at the Disable Training Institute in Gulshan-e-Iqbal where stakeholders including non-governmental organsiations will participate,” she said.
Meanwhile, Association for Handicapped Adults general secretary Nishat Ahmed said they had raised this issue with the government and private organisations but were unable to get the desired results.
“Only Nadra and Civil Aviation Authority are implementing this job quota at full extent while the progress of others in this regard is not satisfactory. The disabled quota is being filled by the influential people using fake disabled certificates,” he added. He urged the government to play its role in this regard so that those who are called special could get their special status.
Meanwhile, the Standing Committee of the Senate of Pakistan on Defence Production visited the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Media Cell, Sindh on Thursday. The SC on defence production was headed by Senator Saeeda Iqbal while Balochistan National Party president Senator Sanaullah Zehri, Awami National Party Central Vice President Senator Dawood Khan Achakzai flanked her. PPP Senator Taj Haider and Senator Dr Karim Khawaja accompanied the committee.
The committee visited various departments of the PPP Media Cell and was briefed about the working of the cell. It said the department of information was the backbone of any political party and was of pivotal importance to raise, establish and maintain the image of the political party. The department of information of a political party was unavoidable as it was the key and dynamic department to deliver the party manifesto and programmes to the masses across the board. Henceforth, it would be imperative for the political parties that they should keep a vibrant department of information for a stable democratic system.
Sindh Govt fails in job quota for 42,000 disabled
