The government has extended the maximum age limit for applicants with physical disabilities by two years to join public service.
The age limit for the physically-challenged persons seeking jobs at government and semi-government offices, autonomous and semi-autonomous agencies and corporations has now been fixed at 32 years, which is 30 for general applicants, according to an official order of the public administration
ministry.
‘All ministries and divisions have been asked to issue instructions to the appointing authorities under their respective jurisdictions for action to comply with the decision,’ said the official order signed by senior secretary to the public administration ministry, Abdus Sobhan Sikder on May 28.
The decision came in the wake of demands by rights campaigners for increase in the age limit for persons with disabilities and for maintaining quota for them in the government
jobs.
The order was circulated among various ministries and divisions last week for immediate action, said an official concerned.
The official said that the decision would be come into effect for appointment of persons with physical disabilities under the quota reserved for them at various government and semi-government offices, autonomous and semi-autonomous  institutions and different corporations. 
At present, freedom fighters’ sons/daughters and their grandsons and granddaughters enjoy the privilege while applicants belonging to ethnic minorities can only join education cadre till 32 years of age.  The minimum age for government service is 21 years.
The government, as per the Disability Welfare Act of 2001, should take steps to relax age limit for the physically-challenged people for public service.
The law prohibits any discrimination against the people with disabilities, who are now considered
as differently-able people, in employment opportunities.
The national policy for disability welfare framed in 1995 recommended enactment of a law to preserve 10 per cent quota for the physically-challenged people in public service and to relax their age limit by up to five years from the normal age of 30. 
Supreme Court lawyer Khondoker Shahriar Shakir, who also works for welfare of people with disabilities, said that there was a 10 per cent quota for them only in the lower grades – Class III and Class IV– in the public service, which was not being fulfilled.
The government recently declared that at least one per cent quota would be preserved for the physically-challenged people in the Class-I jobs, but it has not been implemented as yet, he added.
Terming positive the decision to extend
the age limit, the lawyer said the posts in different areas of the civil service should be earmarked for the aspirants with disabilities.