This is the view of State Bank of India.
State Bank of India
kanchan
Central Recruitment & Promotion Department,
Corporate Centre, Tulsiani Chambers
1st Floor (West Wing), 212,
Free Press Journal Marg,
Nariman Point, Mumbai - 400021.
Tel. No.: 91 - 022 - 2282 O427.
Fax: 91 - 022 - 2282 0411.
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Under Secretary to the Govt. of India,
Ministry of Finance,
Department of Financial Services,
Jeevan Deep,
10, Parliament Street,
New Delhi-110001.
No. CRPD/AB/2007/891
Dated: November 14, 2007
Dear Sir,
Notice of Hearing U/S 63 of The Persons With Disabilities Act 1995 Case No.
3929/2007.
We refer to your letter No. F.3/6/2007-SCT (B) dated 6th November 2007 in the
captioned matter.
In this connection, we have to advise that the scribes are allowed to help the
persons with visual/locomotive impairment to read the question paper and write
the answers relating to concerned examinations. Until July 2007, we had allowed
scribes on following terms and conditions to assist the visually/locomotor
impaired candidates in terms of guidelines issued by the Office of the Chief
Commissioner for Disabilities vide letter no. 27– UP(38)/C.C.D/2000/5751 dated
10.05.2000 (Annexure 'A')–
1.. Scribe/Writer must be on grade junior in academic qualification from the
candidate.
2.. Scribe/Writer should be one possessing 50% or less marks.
3.. Scribe/Writer should be from academic discipline other than that of the
candidate.
4.. Scribe/Writer should be arranged by the candidate at their own cost
(discretion has been given to the examining authority).
In the meantime, we received a notice from the Dy. Chief Commissioner, In the
Court of the Chief Commissioner for Persons With Disabilities on a complaint
filed by the National Association for the Blind (Annexure 'B'), wherein the
Court took cognizance of raising of the limit for scribes to 60% by some Banks.
Earlier, the complainant had requested us to raise/liberalize the criteria on
the basis of their letter no. EMP:SVK/2007/64 dated May 15, 2007, wherein they
provided us with a copy of Court Order No. PIL No. 129of2003 and
Maharashtra Government directives vide circular no. 06-07/2951 dated December
20, 2006 (Annexure ‘C’). The following guidelines have been laid down by the
Maharashtra Government therein relating to qualification of a scribe-
a) It is desirable that the candidate and the scribe are from the same
stream.
b) In case the candidate avails the services of his/her own scribe/writer,
the scribe/writer should be one grade junior in academic qualification than the
candidate if from the same stream. However, this condition shall not apply if
the scribe/writer is from a different stream.
c) No other restriction should be imposed on the selection of a
scribe/writer.
It would appear-from the order that the above guidelines are mainly for
academic examinations involving streams like Arts, Science and Commerce etc.
and are applicable for tests conducted by Maharashtra Government and not for
All India tests like our recruitment examinations.
On the complaint of National Association for the Blind, the Commission also
directed the State Bank of India to appear before it (Annexure 'B'). We
appeared before the Commission and put forth our viewpoint and also made our
submissions vide our letter no. CRPD/AB/2007/243 dated August 01, 2007
(Annexure 'D'). However, on the advise of the Commission (Annexure 'E'), the
Bank agreed to raise the marks stipulation to 60% as an interim measure.
In this matter though the Commission has not directed us on any issue in its
record of proceedings dated 18th October 2007, we are of the view that our
recruitment examinations are of the nature of competitive examinations, which
generally covers all streams of educations and it is essential that the scribe
possess lesser marks than the candidate. As the minimum graduation marks are
usually fixed at 50-55% for SC/ST/PWD candidates, it was appropriate that the
scribe should not have more than 50% marks. Secondly, as per the complainant,
it is very difficult to get scribes/writer with marks of 50% or less. We do not
agree with this. We still strongly believe in the Commission's earlier
directives, cited above. The persons with impairment need scribes who can
clearly read the question paper arid write the answer as directed by the
candidate. For this, the scribe/writer need not be highly qualified. A class
X/XII/Intermediate/graduate passed candidate, who is fit and alert, is
sufficient for this purpose. This was the substance of our argument placed
before the Commission.
Submitted for your information.
Yours faithfully.
General Manager
Encl: as above.
\\ABHlJEET\avijit\Clcrical Rect\Commission.doc2
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER
FOR DISABILITIES
(A STATUTORY OFFICE OF
THE GOVT. OF INDIA)
No. 27-UP (38)/C.C.D/2000/5751
Mr. Harinder Singh
Joint secretary
Department of Personnel and Training
North Block, New Delhi
10.5.2000
Sub: - Modifications In the written tests and Interviews for persons with
disabilities in the matter of direct recruitment/selection or promotion.
Dear Sir,
In the recent past several complaints pertaining to discrimination in the
written tests and interviews have been reported by persons with disabilities.
In order to equalize opportunities for the disabled in the matter of written
tests and Interviews for Recruitment/Selection or promotion certain arrangement
needs to be provided such as:
1. SCRIBES/WRITERS FOR BLIND/LOW VISION AND LOCOMOTOR IMPAIRED HAVING
DISABILITY IN BOTH HANDS AND ARMS.
(a) Blind/Low vision persons due to the nature of their disability cannot
negotiate the question paper available in Ink print, unless a sighted person
reads out the question paper to them. Therefore, it becomes absolutely
necessary that a sighted assistant is made available for blind/low vision
persons for reading the question paper.
(b) Similarly/the Blind/Low vision persons can write their assignment in
braille script which the sighted examiners cannot comprehend, therefore, it is
essential that the blind/low vision persons are provided with the assistance of
a scribe/writer for the purpose of writing the tests for recruitment or
promotion.
(c) Person having impairment of movement in arms and hands though can read
independently but have problem in writing the test at a high speed, therefore,
require assistance of a scribe for the purpose of writing the tests for
recruitment or promotion.
(d) The persons with disabilities (Equal opportunities, protection of
Rights and Full participation) Act1995 in section 31 states
“All educational institutions shall provides or cause to be provided amanuensis
to blind students and students with or low vision."
In view of the above, it is suggested that all establishments conducting
written tests for recruitment to jobs or promotion should ensure that persons
who are blind/low vision or locomotor impaired in both hands and both arms
should be provided with the assistance of a scribe or writer, for the purpose
of writing test for recruitment to jobs or promotion to next grade. Blind/low
vision persons are already getting the facility of a writer for the purpose of
school and college examinations. Therefore, providing writers for taking,
recruitment test and promotion tests, is fully justified.
Writers/Scribes should be provided on following terms and conditions:
i) Scribe/Writer must be one grade junior in academic
qualification from the candidate.
ii) Scribe/Writer should be one possessing 50% or less marks.
iii) Scribe/Writer should be from academic discipline other
than that of the candidate,
iv) Scribe/writer should either be provided by the examining
authority or can be arranged by the candidate. This is at the discretion of the
examining authority,
2. ALLOTMENT OF EXTRA TIME IN WRITING TESTS FOR RECRUITMENT/SELECTION TO JOBS
OR PROMOTION.
It is evident that the candidate who writes the test with the assistance of a
scribe/writer would write at a slower pace. Whereas the, candidate speaks the
answer and the writer writes the, answer after-listening to the answer of the
candidate. In this process the time consumed in writing the answer is higher
than that of the non-disabled candidates. With the view to judge the
performance of candidates writing tests with the help of scribes and candidates
writing test by themselves it is necessary to equalize the opportunities by
granting extra time. The examining authorities are advised to:
(i) For a written test,of1 hour duration, at least 20 minutes
extra time should be allotted.
(ii) Similarly, for written tests Involving more than one or
less than one hour extra time should be worked out on the basisof20 minutes per
one hour.
3. ALTERNATIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE BLIND/LOW VISION.
Sec. 30 (f) of the Disability Act stipulates,
“Without prejudice to the foregoing provisions, the appropriate Governments
shall by notification prepare a comprehensive education scheme which shall make
Provision for suitable modification in the examination system to eliminate
purely mathematical questions for the benefit of blind students and students
with low vision;”
For blind/low-vision persons purely mathematical questions should be eliminated
as per Sec. 30 (f). It would be logical to eliminate, those sections from the
written test which are purely visual In nature such as graphs, pictures or
maps. If, the blind persons are exempted from purely mathematical questions it
would be appropriate to suitably modify other visual sections too. Therefore,
it is suggested that all, the examining authorities must; issue instructions to
the paper setters so that alternative questions of' equal value are worked out
for blind and low vision students in lieu of the purely visual questions. In
case where alternative questions in lieu of the purely visual questions are not
provided then, the candidates must be awarded marks on such sections based on
the overall average of marks otherwise obtained by the candidates in other
sections of the paper barring those Involving visual sections. This would
equalize opportunities in the written test for the disabled.
4. INTERPRETERS FOR HEARING IMPAIRED PERSONS.
Interview is an important part of any recruitment process. Persons with Hearing
Impairment and Speech Impairment, though having excellent communication skills
must use services of an interpreter during the interview. This would ensure
smooth and better communication between interviewers and the Hearing Impaired
and Speech Impaired interviewees. Presence of the Interpreter would rule out
possibility of communication gaps. Interpreter should be ideally of the
disabled person’s choice from the same city because in the sign language there
are as many dialects as in the spoken language. Interpreter from one language
zone can, not Interpret for another linguistic zone. For utmost efficiency it
is better that the interpreter is of the candidates own choice
We request you to advise all the heads of the ministries and departments and
heads of recruiting agencies such as UPSC, SSC, BSRB, RRB and all heads of
Public Sector undertakings to ensure suitable modifications for the disabled in
the written tests conducted by them for recruitment/selection or promotion.
Sincerely yours,
(Anuradha Mohit)
Copy to:
1.. Executive Director (Personnel), NHPC Ltd, Sector 33, Faridabad
2.. Executive Director (Personnel), NTPC Ltd., NTPC Bhawan, core -7, scope
Complex -7, Industrial Area, Lodh1 Road, New Delhi
3.. General Manager (HR), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., Scope Complex, Core 2,
7, Industrial area, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. ,
4.. Secretary, central Recruitment Board (state Bank Group), Madhulie 1st
Floor, H/2, Shivsagar Estate, Dr. annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai 400018
(Anuradha Mohit)
Room No. 120, I.P.H. Building, 4, Vishnu Digamber Marg, New Delhi-110002 Tel.:
3234101 Fax: 3221080 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web Site :
www.nic.in/ccdisabilities
Kanchan Pamnani
Advocate & Solicitor
9, Suleman Chambers,
Battery Street, Colaba,
Mumbai - 400 039.
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