Mumbai, July 22: IAS officer and member-secretary of the Telangana Finance Commission, Smita Sabharwal, recently took to her Twitter account and questioned the need for quotas for people with disabilities in the civil service. The remarks by Smita Sabharwal come amid the controversy over IAS officer Puja Khedkar's selection by the UPSC and row over her caste and disability certificates. Her opinion on the disability quota is receiving mixed responses. Let's know who Smita Sambhalval is and what she said about the disability quota.

The UPSC has a disability quota, reserving a percentage of positions for individuals with disabilities to ensure equal opportunities in education, employment, and other sectors. In India, the Disabilities Act of 1995 protects the rights of those with disabilities like blindness, low vision, hearing impairment, and locomotor disabilities, each category having its reservation percentage. The candidates must have a minimum of 40% disability to qualify for reservation benefits. Manorama Khedkar, Mother of Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar, Sent to Police Custody Till July 20 in Attempt to Murder Case Over Viral Gun Video.

Who Is Smita Sabharwal?

According to her Twitter profile, Smita Sabharwal is the daughter of a retired army colonel. She is one of the youngest IAS officers, joining at the age of 23. Despite failing on her first attempt, she ranked fourth on her second attempt. Sabharwal studied at St. Ann's and graduated with a commerce degree from St. Francis in Hyderabad, where she excelled and topped her Class 12. Currently, she is the member-secretary of the Telangana Finance Commission. Who Is Manoj Soni? Know All About UPSC Chairman Who Resigned Citing ‘Personal Reasons’ Amid Controveray Surrounding Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar.

What Did She Say About the Disability Quota?

On July 21, Sabharwal took her X (formerly Twitter) account and questioned the necessity of disability quotas in services like IAS, IPS, and IFoS, which involve demanding fieldwork and physical fitness. She asked whether airlines hire pilots with disabilities or if people would trust a surgeon with a disability, suggesting that the physical demands of these premier services might not align with the capabilities of differently abled individuals. She ended the tweet with the hashtag "Just Asking."

Smita Sabharwal Questions Necessity of Disability Quota

Sabharwal's tweet has sparked an online debate with politicians like Priyanka Chaturvedi expressing their views on her remarks. As of now, the tweet has garnered more than 1.4 million views, more than 5700 likes and 1500 retweets.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 22, 2024 03:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).