From being shot six times to losing his sight, four persons with disabilities who did not let their physical barriers stand in the way of achieving their dreams of clearing the Civil Services Examination, called on the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar . Samyak Jain, who secured seventh rank in all India Level in the exam conducted by UPSC, said the journey has been tough and full of ups and downs.
Jain, an alumnus of JNU, was diagnosed with macular degeneration at the age of 18, due to which he started losing his center of vision. “It is progressive in nature and I used to have a lot of difficulty in reading and writing, but technology enabled me. What can others do in 60 minutes, what can I do in 45 minutes now,” the 26-year-old told PTI.
Clearing the UPSC exam has been his dream, Jain said, adding that he thought the list was bogus when he saw that he had secured 7th rank. 29-year-old Satyendra Singh, who belongs to a farmer family, is blind. He secured 370th rank and is the first graduate in his family. “The struggle is not just mine but my family’s, which was strong with me,” said Singh, who studied at St Stephen’s and JNU. Singh lost his eyesight at the age of one and a half years as a side effect of the wrong injection.
He shared his journey and aspirations with the Union Minister who inspired him to work towards the empowerment of others like him. Twenty-nine-year-old Ayushi, who is also blind, credits her family for clearing the civil services exam and wants to work in the education department.
“I was a teacher and in future I want to work in the education department,” said Ayushi, who worked in MCD school. PCS officer Rinku Singh Rahi is suffering from various disabilities including hearing, sight and speech impairment. He was shot six times due to which he became disabled.
“During my work as an anti-corruption crusader, I was shot six times. I am known as a whistleblower and I have exposed many scams,” he said. Forty-year-old Rahi says that she believes that the reservation she has got in UPSC exam is a debt to her and she will repay it by serving the society.
However, he is not happy with his rank of 683 and is planning to take the exam again next year. In his meeting with Kumar, Rahi raised the issue of giving special attention to people with less than 40 per cent disabilities, even if they are less than 40 per cent disabled. Notably, only candidates with a disability of 40 percent or more are eligible for reservation in the UPSC exam.
“I had a clear case of multiple-disability, but many cases require proper evaluation by doctors,” he said. Union Minister Kumar appreciated how these people made disability their strength.
He said, ‘The government supports you but nothing can be achieved unless you believe in yourself. Kumar also appreciated the teachers and families of these people. A total of 25 persons with disabilities have qualified the Civil Services Examination-2021, the results of which were recently declared.
read all breaking news , today’s fresh news And IPL 2022 Live Updates Here.