The demand for a proficient differently-abled person to be made the next State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities is slowly gathering pace with several celebrities supporting such a proposal.
The United Voice for Appointment of SCPD in Odisha recently organized a press conference in Bhubaneswar wherein the members from several NGOs demanded that a differently-abled person be made the head of the State Commission for Persons with Disabilities.
The post of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities has been lying vacant since the resignation of Sulochana Das, who was recently elected the Mayor of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation.
If a woman can be appointed as the head of the Odisha State Commission for Women, a minority in case of Minority Commission and a backward class person chair the Backward Class Commission, why can't a Divyang head the Commission for PwDs, the activists demanded during the press briefing.
Meanwhile, initial move regarding the proposal has now taken the shape of a movement with several celebrities coming out in support of the demand. One among them is a noted national level journalist, Rajdeep Sardesai, who, in a tweet, brought the attention of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to the demand.
“We are yet to understand the reason behind appointing a non-PwD person as the chief of the State Commission for Persons with Disabilities by flouting the guidelines of the Central government,” said State coordinator of Odisha Disabled People’s Network, K Anand Rao.
The State Commission for Persons with Disabilities came into being in 2010. So far, four persons have been made the head of the Commission but none of them is a PwD. Since persons with political links have been appointed as the chief of the Commission, it has been alleged that the PwDs in the State are wittingly being neglected.
“If we choose a PwD person as the head of the commission, s/he should have caliber, experience and a respect for the post. If a divyang is made the chairman of the Commission, s/he can relate to the problems of the PwDs in a better manner,” said social activist Sruti Mohapatra.
Similarly, echoing Sruti's observation, social worker Jitendra Biswal said, “None else but a PwD can understand the problem of a divyang. Appointment of a PwD as the Commissioner of the State Commission for Persons with Disabilities has been a long standing demand.”