The Tamil Nadu government will provide 4% reservation in promotion to its employees with benchmark disabilities. It has issued instructions in this regard.
However, one of the instructions allows the government to exempt any of its establishments from provisions of Section 34 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
According to the instructions, the reservation in promotion for persons with benchmark disabilities is “applicable only to the identified posts notified by the government where the cadre strength of a post is more than five. Such identification shall be made only for posts carrying a pay level up to pay level 25 in each government establishment”.
The reservation is applicable in promotion as well as in recruitment by transfer (lower pay scale to higher pay scale). While 1% is reserved for blindness and low vision, 1% is reserved for deaf and hard of hearing. 1% is reserved for locomotor disability, including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims, and muscular dystrophy. Another 1% is reserved for autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness, multiple disabilities from among persons under clauses (a) to (b) including deaf-blindness. However, under one of the provisions, the government shall decide on exempting certain establishments from the reservation.
Having regard to the type of work carried out in any establishment, the government, in consultation with the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, “may exempt any government establishment from the provisions of the reservation”.
Section 34 of the Act provides 4% reservation to persons with benchmark disabilities in appointment; but, as for promotion, one of the provisions says, “reservation in promotion shall be in accordance with such instructions as are issued by the appropriate government from time to time”.
In December 2022, the government constituted a sub-committee for the provision of 4% reservation in promotion to persons with benchmark disabilities. In the same month, it constituted a high-level committee in this regard. The Secretary of the Human Resources Management Department led the high-level committee, which discussed the reports of the sub-committee in August 2024. Eventually, the high-level committee recommended provision of 4% reservation in promotion to persons with benchmark disabilities.
Based on the recommendations of the high-level committee, the government last week issued orders to provide 4% reservation in promotion to persons with benchmark disabilities. The instructions issued on June 21 this year came into effect from that date.
Published – June 25, 2025 06:06 am IST
