The Hindu:
A visually challenged girl who cracked the Civil Services examination conducted
by the Union Public Service Commission in 2008 but is still awaiting
appointment to one of the most coveted cadre jobs in the country, continues her
fight to enter the system even as valuable time flies by.
Despite favourable judgments by the Central Administrative Tribunal in October
2010 and the Supreme Court on January 28, 2011, following which the UPSC
recommended her name for appointment, bureaucratic delays continue to plague
29-year-old Purnima Jain's entry into a job she attained after much hardship.
In a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Ms. Purnima wrote: "I,
Purnima Jain, am a visually impaired (VH) girl (partially blind). I am a law
graduate with 80 per cent marks. I have done M.A. in Public Administration and
have qualified N.E.T and J.R.F in Public Administration...I appeared for Civil
Service Examination 2008, and secured 1,123 marks. The UPSC had given me
excellent marks in interview - 210 marks out of 300-and yet did not consider me
for selection."
Ms. Purnima said the last person who got selected in 2008 had scored only a
total of 991. "I wish to bring to your notice that I am the only VH female
candidate securing higher marks. I also wish to assert that despite talent and
having performed so well I have been unreasonably denied the success which I
duly deserve to get and still remain unemployed. As the matter has been delayed
by about two years, this requires an urgent intervention by you and, therefore,
a prompt and timely action shall be of great help to me," Ms. Purnima said in
her memorandum.
"Sir, I have lived my dream to become an IAS officer and have pursued it as the
purpose of my life. Today my eyes seem to have become the enemy of my dreams. I
shall be highly obliged to you, if the process of my appointment to the Indian
Administrative Service or Indian Foreign Service is expedited to help
facilitate this blind girl and shall be thankful to you all my life."
The Indore-resident also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on November 29 along
with CPM politburo member Brinda Karat to apprise him of her long struggle for
a well-deserved job. "This is gross discrimination by the Department of
Personnel and Training against brilliant students. Instead of congratulating
and rewarding such students, you make them lose years of valuable public
service they could have otherwise offered. The Prime Minister said he was not
aware of the issue facing such students. He promised to rectify the injustice
caused to Ms. Purnima and others," recalled Brinda Karat, on the meeting Ms.
Purnima and six other qualified candidates, had with Dr. Singh.
Ms. Purnima said that going by the provisions of Section 33 of the Persons with
Disabilities Act, 1995, there were to be nine seats reserved for visually
challenged persons in 2008 but the UPSC selected only four persons.
"Though the CAT order had raised my hopes by directing the UPSC to act within
six months to appoint me, their inaction even after a year of the judgment is
unpardonable," Ms. Purnima added, wryly pointing out that another World
Disability Day had just gone by.
With thanks and regards
(Rajesh Asudani)
Assistant General Manager
Reserve Bank of India
Nagpur
Cell: 9420397185
o: +91 712 2806846
R: 2591349
It's not activity that wears out the body and spirit- it's inactivity. Keep
going!"
GUS ECKSTEIN
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