"Does Airline Hire Pilot With Disability": Telangana IAS Officer's Quota Remark Sparks Row 

"Does an airline hire a pilot with a disability? Or would you trust a surgeon with a disability?", senior IAS officer Smita Sabharwal has questioned the disability quota in UPSC amid the ongoing row over Maharashtra cadre's trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar.

Sabharwal, currently working at the Secretariat of the Telangana Finance Commission, emphasised the importance of fitness for IAS officers due to the physical demands of their fieldwork.

"With all due respect to the differently-abled, does an airline hire a pilot with a disability? Or would you trust a surgeon with a disability? The nature of the #AIS (IAS/IPS/IFoS) involves fieldwork, long taxing hours, and listening first-hand to people's grievances, which requires physical fitness. Why does this premier service need this quota in the first place?" Smita Sabharwal wrote on X.

Her remarks on the disability quota in UPSC have sparked a widespread outrage on social media.

Reacting to Sabharwal's statement, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi called it "pathetic and exclusionary."

"This is such a pathetic and exclusionary view to have. Interesting to see how bureaucrats are showing their limited thoughts and their privilege too," Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said.

Dr. Satendra Singh, a disability rights activist, also criticized Sabharwal's remark, noting that there are many surgeons in the medical field with disabilities.

"Dear @SmitaSabharwal ji, yes, there are many surgeons with disabilities even in India, in fields like urology, gastro surgery, and plastic surgery. So, when you next see a person with a disability, presume COMPETENCE!" Singh said.

Smita Sabharwal's statement comes amid a huge outrage over Puja Khedkar's case, who is facing multiple allegations, including fake disability and misuse of power.