Pooja Khedkar row: NPRD General Secretary slams officials’ remarks on differently abled in civil services
Hyderabad: In response to recent controversial remarks made by high-ranking officials regarding the employment of differently abled individuals in civil services, the General Secretary of the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), Muralidharan, strongly criticized the statements as undermining the core principles of equality and non-discrimination.
Referring specifically to statements by Niti Aayog Vice Chairperson Amitabh Kant and IAS officer Smita Sabharwal, Muralidharan highlighted their implications on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
Muralidharan pointed out the success stories of professionals with differently abled, such as Mumbai-based oncologist Dr. Suresh Advani, to refute Sabharwal’s questioning of the rationale behind employing disabled persons in civil services.
The NPRD Secretary also lamented that despite these successes, systemic issues such as unemployment among the disabled and corruption in the issuance of differently abled certificates remain unaddressed.
The controversy was triggered by revelations of fraud by a trainee IAS officer, Pooja Khedkar, sparking a broader debate on reservations for disabled individuals. Kant’s suggestion to review the reservation system drew strong criticism from Muralidharan, who highlighted that reservations are based on capability, not sympathy.
Telangana Cadre Senior IAS officer Smita Sabharwal faced backlash for her remarks on social media questioning the necessity of quotas for differently abled individuals in physically demanding roles like the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). Her comments drew condemnation from prominent people like IAS trainer Bala Latha Mallavarapu and Supreme Court Senior Advocate Karuna Nundy, who criticized Sabharwal for misunderstanding disability issues.
In response, Sabharwal defended her statement, arguing that her concern was about the suitability of differently abled individuals for physically demanding roles. She suggested that desk-oriented positions might be more suitable within government services.
