Allocation of reservation for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities under section 34 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 – Clarification by Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (भारत सरकार)
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (रेल मंत्रालय)
RAILWAY BOARD (रेलवे बोर्ड)
No. 2025-E(SCT)I/133/13
New Delhi, dated 26.09.2025
The General Manager (P)
All Indian railways & Production Units
The Director General/RDSO/Lucknow.
The CMD/M.D of all the PSUs/Autonomous Bodies under the control of Ministry of Railways.
Sub:-Clarification on the allocation of reservation for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities under section 34 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 – regarding.
A copy of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Diyangjan)’s Office Memorandum bearing No. P-13013/32/2025-Policy dated 25.08.2025 on the above mentioned subject is forwarded herewith. The above O.M. is self-explanatory.
2. The same may please be brought to the notice of all concerned for information/ guidance and strict compliance.
DA:- As above.
(Goutom Mondal)
Joint Director, Estt.(Res.)
Railway Board
Mail Id:goutom[.]mondal[@]gov.in
Tele No. 011-23047208
No. P-13013/32/2025-Policy
Government of India
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan)
Pt. DeendayalAntyodayaBhawan,
CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi.
Dated 25 August, 2025
To,
The Chairman and CEO
Railway Board
M/o Railways
Room No. 256-A, Rail Bhavan, Raisina Road, New Delhi – 110001
Subject: Clarification on the allocation of reservation for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities under section 34 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 — regarding.
Sir/Madam,
I am directed to inform that this Department is in receipt of reference concerning the recruitment process being conducted by the Ministry of Railways wherein the 1% reservation earmarked for persons with visual impairment has reportedly been further subdivided into 0.5% each for persons who are blind and those with low vision.
2. The Section 34 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 mandates a reservation of not less than four percent of the total number of vacancies in government establishments for persons with benchmark disabilities. This reservation is distributed as one percent each for the following categories:
| (a) Blindness and low vision; | 1% |
| (b) Deaf and hard of hearing; | 1% |
| c) Locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims. and muscular dystrophy: | 1% |
| (d) Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability, and mental illness; | 1% |
| (e) Multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (d), including deaf-blindness. |
3. In view of the above, it is to convey that the Act does not mandate any sub-quota of reservation within a category of disability. The one percent reservation provided for each specified category of disabilities, as outlined in Section 34, is allocated collectively to the group as a whole. Accordingly, reservation of 1% for each category is to be treated as collective and indivisible.
4. The Ministry of Railways is, therefore, requested to ensure that recruitment processes under its purview strictly adhere to the RPwD Act, 2016. and refrain from any further sub-division of quotas within a notified category of disability.
5. This is issued with the approval of the Competent Authority.
(Debala Brattacharjee)
Under Secretary to the Govt. of India
(Email: debala.joarder[@]gov.in)
Copy to:
The Secretary
The Department of Personnel & Training
(Kind Attention: Shri Sandeep Mukherjee, Director, Reservation)
31064, Kartavya Bhavan-03
Email: sandeepm[dot]mnre[at]gov[dotl]in
(For information and with a request to issue necessary instruction in this regard to all Central Government establishments)
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