The Karnataka Labour Department is reportedly planning to propose a Bill that provides up to 10 per cent reservation in educational institutions and up to five per cent reservation in private sector employment for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), sources confirmed on Thursday, November 6th.
According to a concept note shared by the department, Karnataka has over 20 lakh PwDs.
"Including PwDs in the workforce can add up to three to five pc to state GDP through increased productivity and reduced dependency ratios," the note highlighted.
The note explained that the proposed 10 per cent reservation in educational institutions aligns with Article 21A (Right to Education) and is aimed at ensuring genuine access to lifelong learning.
The Bill may also include a provision mandating the publication of accessible equal employment opportunity policies on employers’ websites, thereby ensuring that prospective PwD employees have full access to the same information.
Officers from the Department of Labour, Factories and Boilers and other authorities of the line department shall act as inspectors cum facilitators to enforce the provisions of the Bill, the note stated.
The note further added: "Karnataka’s new bill would make it the first Indian state to fully comply with UNCRPD standards — enhancing India’s international human rights reputation." India ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2007.
In August, the Karnataka government had issued an official order to implement internal reservations for the Scheduled Caste (SC) communities in education and employment, based on the Justice Nagamohan Das Committee report. That committee had recommended quotas for each group within the overall 17 per cent quota for SCs, based on their respective populations.
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