Telangana announces 5 per cent quota for persons with benchmark disabilities in higher education

As per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, the persons with benchmark disability mean, a person with 40 or more per cent of a specified disability

Hyderabad: The Telangana Higher Education Department announced the implementation of a five per cent reservation to persons with benchmark disabilities for admissions into higher education in all government and aided institutions.

Persons with disabilities have been granted an upper age relaxation of five years in admission into higher education.

---

In an order issued by Education Department Secretary Dr Yogita Rana on January 28, all the government higher education institutions and other institutions receiving aid from the government were directed to reserve not less than 5 per cent of seats for persons with benchmark disabilities.

As per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, the persons with benchmark disability mean, a person with 40 or more per cent of a specified disability.

Each category of disability — blindness and low vision, deaf and hard of hearing, locomotor disability, autism and intellectual disability, and multiple disabilities will get a reservation of one per cent each.

However, if candidates in respective categories are not available, the vacancy will be filled by the next category, the order said. If qualified candidates with benchmark disabilities are not available, then the unfilled vacancy will be filled with other candidates on the basis of merit in the respective categories i.e. OC, BC, SC, ST, EWS or women, if applicable.