Bureaucrat questions disabled's quota in civil services; faces flak
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New Delhi: A senior bureaucrat from Telangana questioned the need for a quota for specially-abled candidates in civil services. While a large controversy is going on over the selection of probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, it is member-secretary of the Telangana Finance Commission, Smita Sabharwal, who questioned the quotas, NDTV reported.
Sabharwal reasoned that civil service demands a lot of groundwork, which makes the job challenging for those who are specially-abled.
As this debate is blowing up-
— Smita Sabharwal (@SmitaSabharwal) July 21, 2024
With all due respect to the Differently Abled. 🫡
Does an Airline hire a pilot with disability? Or would you trust a surgeon with a disability.
The nature of the #AIS ( IAS/IPS/IFoS) is field-work, long taxing hours, listening first hand to…
The bureaucrat wrote on X, "With all due respect to the Differently Abled. Does an Airline hire a pilot with disability? Or would you trust a surgeon with a disability. The nature of the #AIS ( IAS/IPS/IFoS) is field-work, long taxing hours, listening first hand to people's grievances-which requires physical fitness. Why does this premier service need this Quota in the first place!,"
However, her post gathered sharp criticism from many quarters, as they called her stand "flawed logic" and ignorant.
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that Sabharwal's view was pathetic and exclusionary. She added that it is interesting to see how bureaucrats are showing their limited thoughts and privileges.
Chaturvedi wrote on X, "I haven't seen bureaucrats criticising the misuse of the quota such as EWS/Non creamy layer or Disabilities and getting into the system but rather about doing away with a reservation that promotes diversity and inclusion. I don't know how you telling about the number of years in service is relevant to your point. Thanks anyway."
Senior Supreme Court Advocate Karuna Nandy reacted, "Amazed that an IAS officer would be so fundamentally ignorant about disability. Most disabilities have no impact on stamina. Or intelligence. But this tweet shows enlightenment and diversity are badly needed."
A trustee of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), Aravind Gupta, posted, "As a trustee of @ncpedp_india, we see thousands of innovative outcomes by people with disabilities, which is inspirational in many ways. NCPEDP was instrumental in getting disabled people in UPSC & we see them struggling daily due to lack of awareness. If given a universal ecosystem, persons with disabilities can contribute to the mainstream society on an equal basis. It's time we educate ourselves rather than excluding 20 Crore Indians from contributing to a better India."