Guwahati: Dispur will announce the dates for the recruitment drive for vacant reserved posts for differently-abled persons of the state within a month.

Assam social welfare minister Pramila Rani Brahma made the announcement on Friday during a meeting with the delegation of Pratibandhi Suraksha Sangstha and Dristihin Parishad - two organisations working for the rights of the differently able persons in the state.

Brahma said a special skill development institute for the differently-abled would be set up and a higher secondary section would be started in Guwahati Blind School. She also said funds would be allocated for Bihpuria Blind School to pat teachers' salaries and a guest house would be set up in Guwahati.

She said a special teacher eligibility test for the differently-abled persons would be organised soon after discussing the matter with the education department.

"Friday's meeting was very fruitful. The minister takes all the matter seriously and directed all the officials concerned to take necessary measures to carry out the recruitment drive," Pratibandhi Suraksha Sangstha secretary Nripen Malakar said.

Malakar said the meeting was attended by several officials, including social welfare department director S.S. Meenakshi Sundaram.

In Assam, around 4,419 posts are vacant under the physically disabled category in different government departments and the number may go up as assessments in some departments are still going on, sources said.

Around 523 are grade III posts and around 792 are grade IV posts.

Around 3,600 posts of teachers are vacant in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Malakar said.

Around 2,939 posts are vacant in the education department, which is the highest among all departments, he added.

"There are around 8.5 lakh differently-abled person in Assam of whom more then 50,000 are educated and eligible for various government jobs," Malakar said.