The announcement came in regard to RRB Group D recruitment annouced in 2018.
After protests by the persons with benchmark disabilities (PwBD), the Indian Railways assured that the qualified candidates would be appointed as per their merit or turn in their respective Railway zones as per vacancies notified for the different classes of "Divyangjan". The assurance from the Indian Railways comes regarding the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) Group D jobs announced in year 2018. Several PwBD candidates and their supporters had staged a sit-in protest near Mandi House in New Delhi since October 23rd, 2019 against perceived irregularities in the filling up of posts reserved for PwBD in the recent Level-1 recruitment exercise of the Indian Railways.
Indian Railways had issued a centralized recruitment notification in February 2018 for around 63,000 RRB Group D posts on different Boards.
This notification also included posts for persons with benchmark disabilities (PwBD).
Subsequently, according to the Ministry of Railways, based on the provisions of the revised PwBD Act that mandated 4% reservation for PwBD categories (including newly introduced Multi Disability category), an additional window was notified for candidates to apply. Thereafter a clear 1% distribution of vacancies for each of the four PwBD categories for the recruitment exercise was made increasing the total number of vacancies reserved for PwBD to around 2500.
Complaint of the protesters before the Court of Chief Commissioner For Persons With Disabilities was about this revision in the vacancy percentage and specific grievances of some candidates in some Railway zones as regards communication on qualifying marks and calling for Document Verification.
Five written representations in this connection came up for hearing before the Court of Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPWD) on October 23, 2019, according to the ministry.
A detailed meeting with representatives of the protesters with senior Railway Board officers was also held in the office of Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice on October 24, 2019 to understand the grievances, explain the Railways' position and actions taken, and assure the protesters that all grievances would be examined and those genuine addressed in a time-bound manner, said the statement.
The matter was thereafter heard in the Court of CCPWD on October 25, 2019.
"The qualified PwBD candidates would be appointed as per their merit/turn in their respective Railway zones as per vacancies notified for the different classes of Divyangjan," the ministry said.
According to the Railway Ministry, any unfilled vacancies would not be filled by other non-PwBD candidates and position regarding category-wise qualifying marks or cut-offs for each Railway or RRC will be displayed on relevant websites.
It also asked the candidates to give their grievances and assured that the same will be examined carefully and expeditiously.
The recruitment process is still underway and more PwBD candidates, would come up for appointment in the coming weeks. Under no circumstances will any vacancy for PwBD be filled by any other categories.
"In certain circumstances, where the vacancies of PwBDs are not filled up, the same is carried forward to the next recruitment cycle/notification," the statement said.
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