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Understanding flat feet

The New Indian Express Kochi

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June 06, 2025

EARLIER this week, headlines flashed that the Tamil Nadu government will not hire drivers with flat feet for vacancies in any of the eight state transport corporations.

- NIDHARSHANA RAJU

EARLIER this week, headlines flashed that the Tamil Nadu government will not hire drivers with flat feet for vacancies in any of the eight state transport corporations. Though surprising to some, it isn't entirely new in India. The Services Selection Board (SSB), which shoulders the responsibility of selecting candidates for the Indian Armed Forces, has a practice of disqualifying candidates on medical grounds, depending on the severity of pes planus (flat feet).

The news of the Tamil Nadu state government now has stirred conversations around this medical condition—what it means to have flat feet, how it affects one's body, and whether or not it truly impacts a person's fitness for certain professions. Dr Kunal Patel, an orthopedic surgeon with Apollo Hospital, Chennai, breaks it down.

• What is flat feet, and how common is it?

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