Disability in India - ID Certification

Girl denied disability certificate at Delhi's government hospital for not having Aadhaar card

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 27 Oct 2018 06:39:00 +0000

Cheena Kapoor

27 Oct 2018

Aarti Kumar

DELHI : A 13-year-old class ninth student has been denied a disability certificate at a Delhi-government hospital because her parents Aadhaar card mentions Bihar's address, where the family originally hails from. This is likely to affect the girl's promotion to the next class as a special student requires a certificate stating the same.

Aarti Kumari lives with 100 per cent blindness in one eye and partial blindness in the other. As Aarti does not possess an Aadhaar card, she is now stressed about her academic future.

"I was sent back from the Delhi government-run Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital saying that they require her Aadhaar card and that of her parents' too. I have submitted Aarti's Aadhaar card, but mine and my husband's card had Bihar address and thus they are refusing disability certificate. They have asked us to get Aadhaar cards with Delhi address. This is now causing a problem in her school as she might get suspended," said Savita Devi, Aarti's mother.

Despite several intimations from the Delhi Health Department that Aadhaar Card is not mandatory at the hospitals, many state-run hospitals are sending patients back on the grounds that they do not have the document.

"There are no such directions from the Delhi Health Services and thus it is wrong if the hospital is making Aadhaar Card mandatory for the disability certificate. We only need a valid address proof for the certificate, it can be an identity card," said Dr Kirti Bhushan, Directorate General of Health Services.

Even as the Supreme Court verdict stated that no person should be denied any kind of benefit in absence of Aadhaar, several cases have come to light where hospitals are asking for Aadhaar cards.

The issue was highlighted days after a nine-year-old girl from Noida was denied treatment at the Delhi government's Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital for not having an Aadhaar and had to be admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital after intervention from Union Minister of Health, JP Nadda.

A statement from the Safdarjung hospital said the girl was admitted to the hospital on October 10 and diagnosed by pediatric neurologist Dr Rachna Sehgal on the directions of the Union health minister.

https://www.dnaindia.com/delhi/report-girl-denied-disability-certificate-at-delhi-s-government-hospital-for-not-having-aadhar-card-2679685

The Case of the Missing Identity

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 22 Sep 2018 11:50:00 +0000

11/n Mothers of two disabled children in Bengal were denied their disability allowance because they had no #Aadhaar. Read the unbelievable abuse these women & children suffer.https://t.co/kOT1oizhsJ #AadhaarWarOnWomen #AadhaarFail
pic.twitter.com/dq2qt5SuvY
— 50 Million Missing (@50millionmissin) December 15, 2017

Fixing Aadhaar bugs: Putting a finger on the biometric problem

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 11:38:00 +0000

Ensure that Aadhaar enrolment centres are accessible to the elderly and wheelchair users; train the staff to be more sensitive to differently-abled people

16 Jan 2018

Geetanjali Krishna

Govt to sort out Aadhaar glitches

New Delhi : As the Supreme Court gears up to rule on the constitutionality of Aadhaar this week, a two-part series examines the nagging bugs the UIDAI hasn’t yet fixed

The child suckles futilely at Koyli Devi’s breast as she struggles to describe her 11-year-old sister’s last words before she died of starvation in September last year in Jharkhand. “Santoshi asked for bhaat, rice…” says she. “My daughter was not sick, she simply died of hunger.” The family had applied to have their Aadhaar number seeded with the household ration card, but had been unable to draw rations since July last year. “When she died, still asking for rice, we had not lit a fire in the hearth for eight days,” says she.

The tragedy of Aadhaar-linked exclusions in Jharkhand has not ended with Santoshi’s death. A month later, Ruplal Marandi died in Deoghar district after being denied grains as his family members’ Aadhaar-based biometric authentication failed.

In December, 64-year-old widow Premani Kunwar died in Garhwa district after the state’s Aadhaar-based payment system accidentally redirected her pension money to a different account.

These tragedies exemplify the exclusions that have resulted from the government’s insistence on seeding social security benefits with Aadhaar, based on biometric identification. There is, however, an even more tragic set of exclusions, of people who, for varying reasons, are incapable of furnishing their biometrics — and so, under the present set of rules, will never be able to get an Aadhaar card, and, consequently, never vote, claim social security, or get a phone connection.

The mechanism of exclusion

India’s 2.2 per cent disabled population is unfortunately high on the list of exclusions. Here are the findings of Chennai-based NGO Vidya Sagar, which held a month-long Aadhaar enrolment camp for children with mental and intellectual disabilities between July and August last year.

“Biometric scanning was impossible for people with involuntary movements and a whole spectrum of people who simply can’t cope or cooperate with any of these procedures,” says Smitha Sadasivan, who’s with the NGO as well as part of Disability Rights Alliance India.

“Many of our children found the iris scan very frightening as they could see the image of their own eyes in the camera. For children who lacked eye coordination, iris scanning wasn’t possible at all.” Fingerprinting, especially for people with locomotor disability, proved difficult, and traumatic as well. “Even more vexing,” says Satendra Singh, Delhi-based disability rights activist, “is the issue of taking biometric measurements of people with psychiatric disorders, cerebral palsy, and leprosy.”

Sadasivan recalls how a young girl became so agitated by the intrusiveness of biometric measurement that she suffered a seizure. Nipun Malhotra, a Delhi-based disability rights activist with a severe locomotor disability, recounts his own experience. “Arthrogryposis has made it painful for me to open out my fingers,” says he. “The first time I went to the Aadhaar enrolment centre, the agent pried my fingers open, causing me pain and trauma.” The second time round, Malhotra managed to get his Aadhaar card made on the basis of an iris scan and photograph of his hands as proof that in his case, fingerprinting was impossible. However, given that most activities that require Aadhaar seeding have only fingerprint scans, not iris scans, Malhotra’s card is probably not going to help him access his entitlements.

The elderly (103.9 million, according to a 2016 government report) are an even larger section of the population that runs the risk of being excluded, as their biometrics are often hard to calibrate. “Also, those who are bedridden or wheelchair-users are finding it impossible to go to the Aadhaar enrolment centres,” says Singh. Among this demographic, many who possess Aadhaar cards say that since their fingerprints do not match anymore, the cards have become virtually useless for them. “Indeed, most banks and mobile providers have only fingerprint scanners, not iris scanners,” says Sadasivan. “This excessive reliance on fingerprint matching is not only insensitive, but is denying several categories of citizens, the social security they desperately need!”

The litany of Aadhaar-caused exclusions continues with the country’s homeless (1.77 million according to the 2011 Census, though activists estimate the numbers to be three times higher), who, as even the Supreme Court has noted with concern, have no address proof. “Initially, the Unique Identification Authority of India allowed people without valid proof of address to be introduced by citizens with valid Aadhaar cards,” says activist Harsh Mander of the Centre of Equity Studies, which works with the urban homeless.

In 2013, the ‘Introducer’ scheme enabled them to get about 5,000 Aadhaar enrolments for homeless citizens, as anyone with a valid Aadhaar card could vouch for an individual without address proof. “Over the years, this scheme has tightened considerably,” says he, adding that for the last two years, his colleagues and he have to approach gazetted government officers to act as Introducers. “After the change of rules,” says Mander, we have been able to get Aadhaar cards for barely 200 to 250 individuals.”

“Such exclusions are unconscionable,” says Subhashis Banerjee of IIT Delhi, who has co-authored the paper Privacy and Security of Aadhaar: A Computer Science Perspective. He advocates that the government delinks the Aadhaar card’s biometric identification with welfare schemes until it sorts these issues out. “Instead, there should be a scientific study of exclusions, and an analysis of where and why biometrics have failed.” Biometric passwords, he says, are conceptually flawed. Since they don’t require the individual’s volition, they can easily be duplicated or faked. Perhaps instead, as these stories of exclusions illustrate so tragically, the need of the hour is to bolster biometrics and ‘smart’ technologies with something more old-fashioned – the good old fashioned, compassionate human touch.

Making Aadhaar more inclusive

* Ensure that Aadhaar enrolment centres are accessible to the elderly and wheelchair users

* Train the enrolment centre staff to be more sensitive to differently-abled people

* Have a set of rules and procedures (available to citizens and enrolment centre staff) for enrolment of people for whom biometric identification is not an option

* Enable bedside enrolment for people who are unable to come to the enrolment centre

* Make it simpler for the homeless to get Aadhaar cards without furnishing address proof

* Have a robust grievance redress system for citizens unable to claim their social security benefits

Aadhaar a double whammy for the disabled

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 02:04:00 +0000

November 22, 2017

Disability prevents enrolment; welfare benefits denied

A child enrols for Aadhaar at a centre in Tiruvottiyur, Chennai.

Zubeda Hamid

CHENNAI : For several months now, M. Dayalan, a resident of Tiruvallur district who is visually impaired, has not been receiving his monthly disability pension. When he inquired, he was told it was because he did not have an Aadhaar card and his bank account was not linked. But not for lack of trying — Mr. Dayalan said he has attempted to get his Aadhaar at least twice, but has been rejected.

“My family and I are struggling without the pension,” said the 36-year-old.

Disability rights activists P. Simmachandran and S. Nambu Rajan said that a number of persons with disabilities are losing out on welfare schemes due to not being able to get an Aadhaar card — and it’s not just the pension, some cannot enrol in the MGNREGA scheme for employment too. Even though there is a provision in the Aadhaar framework to use just one biometric for those with disabilities — either the iris or the fingerprints — many centres and operators are either not aware or have no training to be able to do this, said Smitha Sadasivan, member, Disability Rights Alliance, who has also been petitioning for cards without both biometrics for those with certain disabilities. In many cases the applicants get an acknowledgement but are rejected at the main server level during authentication, she said.

A 50-year-old man, whose right hand is amputated, has not been able to get an Aadhaar card. He said he does not claim the disability pension but is having problems with his bank account that has to be linked with Aadhaar. “I tried to get a card and even got an acknowledgement but was then told my application was rejected as they need 10 fingerprints,” he said.

Those with leprosy too are having difficulties, said Victor Paul, who runs a service and support organisation. A 30-year-old woman with an 80% disability from a village near Palani has had her Aadhaar card for nine months now, but is still not receiving her pension. It was stopped last year, as she had not been able to travel to the nearest centre to obtain her Aadhaar, said an activist. For some with mental illnesses, getting Aadhaar cards is difficult and a few have lost out on pensions, said Kotteswara Rao, senior coordinator with the Schizophrenia Research Foundation.

Special drive

Activists say that there should be doorstep Aadhaar enrolment as well as special camps for those with disabilities to get their Aadhaar cards now that all social security schemes have been linked with it.

State Commissioner for Differently Abled V. Arun Roy said that he would bring this issue to the attention of UIDAI and ask them to come forward with a solution which would be implemented.

thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/aadhaar-a-double-whammy-for-the-disabled/article20629931.ece

HC Raps Centre on Aadhaar for Differently Abled

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 05:19:00 +0000

"Why was the Aadhaar card made mandatory when the Centre can't provide the software for issuing it to each citizen?" the Justice asked.

Iris scan for Aadhaar card (Representative image). Credit: The Wire/Shome Base

New Delhi:

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday asked the Centre why it had made the Aadhaar mandatory for availing services and benefits when it didn’t have the infrastructure for biometric scans of differently abled people. It directed the Centre to report to the court by November 13 what steps had been taken to introduce the software for physically challenged people, reported the Telegraph.

Justice Debangshu Basak was hearing Nupur Moitra’s petition. Her 27-year-old son Sanat has cerebral palsy which impairs his ability to look straight at the camera for the iris scan. Or give his fingerprints, reported the Times of India. Sanat has thrice been denied an Aadhaar card.

“Why should a citizen have to petition a high court to direct the Centre to issue an Aadhaar card to him? Why was the Aadhaar card made mandatory when the Centre can’t provide the software for issuing it to each citizen?” Justice Basak said, according to the Telegraph report.

Advocate Jayanta Narayan Chatterjee, representing the Moitras, said Sanat has 83% cerebral palsy, and cannot sit properly.

“After receiving mobile phone messages declaring December 31 as the last date for (linking one’s mobile number to) Aadhaar, My client had taken her son to several enrolment camps on a wheelchair. Each time, the authorities sent regret letters afterwards saying an Aadhaar card cannot be issued because the camps could not take (Sanat’s) photograph or fingerprints.”

He said Nupur had initially – even though unsuccessfully – tried to get the enrolment centre staff to come home to take Sanat’s biometric details. When the Centre was making linking of Aadhaar number mandatory for all services, how could it not provide a card to citizen, Chatterjee asked.

The Centre’s lawyer said some states were not in a position to use the special software yet but the system for physically challenged people would be introduced soon.

https://thewire.in/government/hc-questions-centre-on-aadhaar-for-differently-abled

Parents Of Disabled Bengal Siblings Run From Pillar To Post For Aadhaar To Get ₹600 Disability Allowance

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 11:57:00 +0000

The bank won't release the money if the account isn't linked to Aadhaar.

27/July/2017

Rituparna Chatterjee

The parents of two disabled children are at their wit's end in Bengal's Balurghat after their daughter's disability allowance of Rs 600 was stopped by the bank because her account was not linked to Aadhaar, the Bengali daily, Sambad Pratidin reported. The plight of the Badalpur siblings came to light after mother Mina Mondal ran from pillar to post to try and get an Aadhaar card made for her daughter Mamoni, who was born with her disability.

Both Mamoni and her brother Raju were certified 100% disabled recently, but payment of Raju's allowance has not yet started. Mina narrated her harrowing tale of trying to get an Aadhaar card made for her daughter to the paper.

Since the eye scan cannot be done while lying down, Mina said she struggled to physically carry her 21-year-old daughter to the booth and make her sit upright, but was still turned away. She has, since then, run from pillar to post appealing to authorities to help get Mamoni's Aadhaar card made, without which the bank would not give her the disability allowance.

Her husband Chanchal Mandal, a brick-layer by profession, is now struggling to take care of their two children. Mamoni, according to doctors, has almost no hope of leading a normal life. Raju (17), who was perfectly healthy even seven years ago, became afflicted with a neural disorder, and have been bed-ridden and comatose since. The Balurghat Panchayat Samiti had fixed a sum of Rs 600 as monthly allowance for Mamoni, which the family has not been able to withdraw for the last two months because of the Aadhaar debacle.

Additional district magistrate, Amalkanti Roy, has reportedly looked into the matter and asked authorities to help the family get their Aadhaar card made.

Doctors have said that Raju might recover if he gets the right treatment, a possibility that currently seems distant to the harassed and impoverished family.

https://www.huffingtonpost.in/2017/07/27/parents-of-disabled-bengal-siblings-run-from-pillar-to-post-for_a_23050329/

UIDAI relents. Sujitha to finally get Aadhaar card

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 06:21:00 +0000

The coldness of the system has given way to compassion at last. Sujitha’s arduous wait for the Aadhaar has finally come to a happy end.

06th April 2017

George Poikayil

KASARGOD : The coldness of the system has given way to compassion at last. Sujitha’s arduous wait for the Aadhaar has finally come to a happy end.

The physically and mentally challenged 23-year-old will receive the unique identification number from District Collector Jeevan Babu K who will visit her house at Thankathaduka in Karivedakam village in Kuttikol panchayat on Thursday if the hartal doesn’t come in the way.

On March 16, Express had reported Sujitha’s plight. Paralysed waist down and with fisted hands, the deaf and mute girl was forced to make four visits to the Akshaya Centre only to be sent back each time as the machine failed to read her fingerprint.

Her mother Amalu said Sujitha has not received the paltry disability pension since last Onam as she did not have an Aadhaar.

UIDAI assistant director general and Kerala in-charge Surendra Babu had told Express the Akshaya Centre at Paduppu failed to use the provisions for physically challenged applicants.

The report touched a raw nerve with the district administration so much so Express received several calls from the State IT Mission saying it was “processing” her application.

Jose Augustine, a farmer who supports Amalu’s family, said the district officer of the IT Mission had called him to say the Aadhaar had been generated and the Collector would deliver it.

Though she is living with multiple disabilities, the government doctors gave her a certificate citing only 70 per cent disability.

Her father Balan died of kidney failure nine years ago. For years, he worked as a contractual labourer in the Plantation Corporation of Kerala’s cashew plantation in Periya where Endosulfan was sprayed indiscriminately. The couple’s eldest daughter Sumitha also had similar disabilities. The 11-year-old was gored to death by a bull 13 years ago.

Belonging to the Mavilan Scheduled Tribe, Amalu is blind in the right eye with partial sight in the other.
She wants to take her daughter to the specialist medical camp to identify endosulfan victims at Bovikkanam on April 8. “I hope she will get some benefits from the government.”

newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2017/apr/06/uidai-relents-sujitha-to-finally-get-aadhaar-card-1590372.html

Aadhaar agony for disabled

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 07:06:00 +0000

Multiple rejections in one-track system

By CHANDREYEE GHOSE AND DEBRAJ MITRA

March 20 2017: Twenty-year-old Niharika (name changed) has just had her Aadhaar application rejected because of "unavoidable circumstances", the UIDAI's euphemistic explanation for a biometric scanner's failure to read the fingerprints of a person with cerebral palsy.

Niharika cannot straighten her fingers because of her condition, but she did try repeatedly at her mother's prodding. When a set of usable fingerprints could not be recorded, mother and daughter were told that there was no other alternative.

She is not the only one to be denied the unique 12-digit identity that is supposedly every citizen's right. Hundreds of Aadhaar applicants with disabilities have received rejection letters for no fault of theirs. Many have had to make multiple attempts to enrol for Aadhaar. Some are not even willing to try, fearing harassment during a process that seems to have bypassed the special requirements of anyone living with a disability.

According to the Calcutta-based Disability Activists' Forum, a large number of people with disabilities had tried and failed to enrol for Aadhaar because of a non-inclusive system and lack of sensitivity among enrolment agents. In most cases, the enrolment procedure cannot be completed because there is no alternative protocol for handling applicants with special needs. "I completed mine but the entire process is difficult for many," said Jeeja Ghosh of the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy.

The difficulties start with accessibility. Many of the enrolment centres are located on the upper floors of buildings without lifts and ramps. Even those on the ground floor do not have ramps and hence are off bounds not only for those in wheelchairs, but also senior citizens and anyone who cannot climb stairs.

Enrolment for Aadhaar is free but registration agents in the city often demand money for any special assistance. "It is not easy to take my daughter, who is a wheelchair user, to an enrolment centre for her second attempt. Even the first time was difficult. An agent promised to bring the scanner home but I am still waiting," said Suromitra Basu.

Scores of senior citizens do not have Aadhaar numbers yet because of the same reason. "The centre near my house requires climbing a flight of stairs, which my mother-in-law cannot. I have spoken to an agent about doing the enrolment at home but nobody has come yet," said Dipa Banerjee, principal and deputy director of services at Mentaid Special School.

Aadhaar operations in Bengal are under the jurisdiction of the UIDAI regional centre in Ranchi. A senior official at the Ranchi centre told Metro that enrolment should not be a challenge for anyone since Calcutta alone had around 500 enrolment centres across. "Several of these centres are on the ground floors of buildings and people who have problems in climbing stairs should visit those," he said.

The UIDAI website makes no mention of any centre with a lift or a ramp, though.

On whether a prospective applicant who is unable to step out of home can enrol for Aadhaar, the official said any person requiring this service could call the toll free number 1947. "The problem with publicising this helpline is that it could open the floodgates for requests for home enrolment of even candidates who are able to visit centres on their own."

Metro called 1947 with a request to send an agent home to help a disabled relative enrol for Aadhaar. It was turned down. "I am sorry, we cannot help you in this regard. You have to contact your local enrolment centre and make the request," said the woman who answered the call. "There is a provision to send agents home, but you have to make that request to your local centre."

Enrolment of children with special needs is also a challenge that the UIDAI has not been able to address. "Children with autism are usually hyperactive. It is very difficult for them to wait in queues. They also tend to have difficulty sitting still for the biometric screening process. Some close their eyes in fright when the iris is to be scanned," said Banerjee of Mentaid.

Many students at Mentaid have had similar problems. "Parents sometimes fail to get their wards to cooperate even after five hours of effort. An alien ambience often scares an autistic child," Banerjee said. "Hearing such horror tales, many parents refuse to try."

Annapurna Maruvada, a special educator at the Society for Visually Handicapped and the mother of a child with visual disabilities, has come across many children whose Aadhaar applications have been rejected. "Some parents are still at it and are ready to pay for every attempt, but it is still a tiresome process," she said.

Some students at the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy completed their Aadhaar enrolment after a sensitisation workshop was organised by Mohammed Asif Iqbal of the Welfare Society for the Blind. But many more have gone through several rounds of rejection.

"It is often difficult for the disabled to complete the biometric screening at one go. We tried to sensitise enrolment officers on assisting them. We also suggested that the disabled get many chances to complete the process," said Iqbal, who is visually disabled.

telegraphindia.com/states/west-bengal/aadhaar-agony-for-disabled/cid/1399213

Kerala's Sujitha is paralysed and mute, but UIDAI system cannot read fine print

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 06:31:00 +0000

Sujitha with her mother Amalu at her home

16 March 2017

George Poikayil

KASARGOD : Sujitha, 23, sits drooling on the porch secured by a wire mesh. Her paralysed hands are fisted on her lap and immobile legs rest on a low footstool.

Her mother Amalu has just left for the house of farmer Jose Augustine where she works as a domestic servant. She will return with rice gruel in the afternoon for her daughter.

Ever since the state government linked disability pension to the 12-digit unique identification number, read Aadhaar card, the duo belonging to the Mavilan Scheduled Tribe has not received the paltry amount. Last Onam, Sujitha received Rs 3,000 for July, August and September.

“Since then, we have not received pension and we are forced to run around for Aadhaar,”says Amalu, who is blind in the right eye with partial sight in the other.

In the morning, Amalu and Sujitha hailing from Thankathaduka in Karivedakam village of Kuttikol panchayat visited the Akshaya Centre for the fourth time. But it was in vain.

“They keep sending us saying the machine cannot read her fingerprints,”says Amalu, a widow.

“Her case best describes the coldness of the system,”says Augustine, whose family has been taking care of the girl. “She is paralysed waist down and her arms are of no use. She is living with mental disability.

Yet, the doctors have certified only 70 per cent disability. When I take her to hospitals, they don’t even touch her because she is drooling.”

Sujitha’s father Balan died of kidney failure nine years ago. For years, he worked as a contractual labourer in the Plantation Corporation of Kerala’s cashew plantation in Periya where endosulfan was sprayed indiscriminately. The couple’s eldest daughter Sumitha also had similar disabilities. The 11-year-old was gored to death by a bull 13 years ago.

Augustine’s sons Richard and Albert had taken Sujitha to officers to include her in the list of endosulfan victims eligible for government benefits.“They keep rejecting her application because she was born in Kuttikol, which is not among the 11 affected panchayats,” says Amalu. The government has said those outside can also apply for benefits.

UIDAI’s promise

A senior Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) officer expressed surprise at the treatment meted out to Sujitha. “There is a provision in the system for such residents,”says Surendra Babu, assistant director general in charge of Kerala at the UIDAI’s Bengaluru regional office.

newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2017/mar/16/keralas-sujitha-is-paralysed-and-mute-but-uidai-system-cannot-read-fine-print-1581792.html

Aadhaar enrolment : UIDAI shows new way to disabled

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 11:17:00 +0000

Mar 7, 2017

HYDERABAD: With Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) linking all transactions to Aadhaar, including cashless transactions, even physically challenged people in different categories are applying for Aadhaar in droves. Hence, authorities have decided to relax norms for people who cannot get their Iris or finger prints authenticated in the enrolment process.

“If someone is visually impaired, print of all 10 fingers will be used to issue the unique ID. If a person has lost his hands, scan of the retina will do. We believe there is nobody who is blind and has lost both hands. But if such a case comes to the fore, we will have to see what can be done,“ said MVS Ramireddy, deputy director general of UIDAI, Hyderabad.

Though the data related to the people who availed exemption cannot be revealed, officials say that such cases are about one percent of overall enrolment in the state. UIDAI has not begun any separate process in other states, but officials here have gone to rehabilitation homes to find out about people living with disabilities.“We took the certificate from resident officers and did the enrolment for those who are at homes. We have also given biometric exemptions,“ officials said.

In rare cases, where people are bedridden permanently, officials have begun sending kits to their houses for enrolment.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/aadhaar-enrolment-uidai-shows-new-way-to-disabled/articleshow/57509430.cms?

Aadhaar enrolment at home now for elderly

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 12:28:00 +0000

16 Mar 2016

Bangalore : It’s not every day that government departments get mail from citizens in appreciation for their work.

In February, Mysuru-based columnist and writer Ratna Rajaiah wrote to the Center for e-Governance, appreciating the efforts taken by Aadhaar enrolment officers to visit her 80-year-old mother for the enrolment process in the comfort of her home.

Yes, the enrolment for the national identification scheme is literally coming to your doorstep. Senior or physically disabled citizens who are unable to make it to the enrolment centre can opt for the residential enrolment service. In recent months, the Centre for e-Governance rolled out this service in Bengaluru and Mysuru and the response has been positive.

In her communication, Ratna Rajaiah wrote: “An e-mail such as this or anything else is inadequate to express both my gratitude and my praise for you and your department. When I got the notification that my mother needs to submit Aadhaar card for her pension, I was dreading a long, tortured haul, filled with all kinds of begging, pleading etc, etc. My mother is 80 years old and her mobility is very poor. So going to an Aadhaar enrollment centre is out of the question for her. I started making calls, my first one put me in touch with a very helpful lady called PA to Anjali Ellis Shankar, assistant DG; UIDIA who directed me to your website — I was expecting little. But to my delighted astonishment, within a space of 15 minutes, my work was done and your local officer had already got in touch and fixed the appointment to do the needful this morning. If there are even a tiny percentage of officers in India’s governance as helpful and as efficient as you, India’s chances of really becoming a Ram Rajya would be very bright.’’

“Looking at the applications/request, a date and time will be communicated to the applicants to keep necessary documents ready. Our officials will visit the residence and complete the enrolment process. In case of urgency, the applicant will have to make transport arrangements for the officials,” a senior official said.

Contact officials at pd.uid@karnataka.gov.in

bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/aadhaar-enrolment-at-home-now-for-elderly/articleshow/51416522.cms

Aadhaar enrolment proves tough on elderly, disabled

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 12:14:00 +0000

13 Jul 2013

Christin Mathew Philip

CHENNAI: The enrolment drive under the National Population Register (NPR) scheme for Aadhaar is picking up pace, but the elderly and the differently-abled are finding it tough. Getting to the centres concerned is difficult, the queues are long and the staff not very cooperative.

On Friday, V Perumal finally got to a centre and was greeted by a queue that went on and on. “I can’t walk properly, but I came as I don’t want to lose government subsidies,” said the 65-year-old polio victim of Jyothiammal Nagar in Saidapet. He dodged muddy pools and climbed a flight of stairs to get to the centre.

Many like him across the city complain of similar problems. Most of the centres, says Tamil Nadu Handicapped Federation Charitable Trust secretary T K M Deepak, are not disabled-friendly. “There are no sign language interpreters and the applications are not in Braille,” he says.

Tamil Nadu Senior Citizens Association secretary D Rajasekaran agrees. There is little information on the websites of the NPR or the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), he says. “Senior citizens account for nearly 10% of the city’s population but have been completely ignored in this drive.”

Several other states have better schemes to help the elderly and the disabled, say residents. In Mumbai, mobile vans are provided to cover old age and homes for the disabled, while Bangalore has exclusive centres for such people.

A senior census department official said: “We have only one mobile van which is mainly for VIPs. Recently, we went to a minister’s house to complete the process.”

The Aadhaar project covers every resident above the age of five. Demographic details and biometric parameters — fingerprints and iris images — are collected and an Aadhaar number issued.

This number is then linked to bank accounts to provide benefits under various schemes, including LPG subsidy.

In Chennai, data is being collected in Royapuram, Tondiarpet, Kodambakkam, Teynampet, Anna Nagar, Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar, Ambattur and Adyar zones. For further queries, residents may contact: 044 - 24912993 or fax: 24911992.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Aadhaar-enrolment-proves-tough-on-elderly-disabled/articleshow/21048381.cms

Exclusive Aadhaar centres for elderly, disabled

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 12:36:00 +0000

June 28, 2013

Bangalore: To help disabled people Aadhaar-compliant, the state government on Thursday launched exclusive Aadhaar enrolment centres at various places across the state.

After inaugurating a model Aadhaar enrolment centre, chief minister Siddaramaiah said 50 per cent of the population in the state have already enrolled their names at such centres and 35 per cent of them have been issued Aadhaar cards.

“More Aadhaar centres will be opened at various places across the state to enable the people enroll their names. So far, 10 lakh beneficiaries who have Aadhaar cards have availed of the direct benefit transfer (DBT) facility,’’ the chief minister said.

Apart from setting up model Aadhaar enrolment centres, the state government has also made arrangements for setting up appointment-based enrolment centres and call centres for providing information on enrolment centres and the process, launch of e-Aadhaar services through Bangalore One centres and Karnataka One centres, and the launch of a special enrolment drive for disadvantaged and vulnerable sections of society.

“Now, we are focusing on vulnerable sections of society. Separate counters will be set up for pregnant women, the physically-challenged, transgenders, and senior citizens. Those who have already enrolled their names can check the status of their Aadhaar card at Bangalore One centres,’’ said DS Ravindran, chief executive officer, Centre for e-Governance.

Call Centres

To know about Aadhaar (enrolment centres in Bangalore City, enrolment procedure, documents required, etc) residents may call up the department call centre number 080-4455 4499 or 9243700100. The UIDAI has created a website wherein residents can find out the status of his/her enrolment/generation of UID number. This facility will be extended to the residents of Bangalore city through selected Bangalore One Centres and in the districts of Tumkur, Mysore and Dharwad through Karnataka One Centres. Citizens can avail of this facility by visiting these centres. Service charges will be applicable.

MODEL CENTRES

Rotary Conference Hall, 13th Cross, Malleswaram
Ravindra Kalakshetra
BBMP ward office, Rajarajeswarinagar
Balakrishna Rangamandira, Rajarajeswarinagar
Vivekananda Rangamandira, Shalini Park, Jayanagar
BBMP Ward Office, Begur Road, Bommanahalli
BBMP Ward Office, Rajajinagar
BBMP Ward Office, Bagalgunte
BBMP Ward Office, Netaji Circle, Mattikere
Mayo Hall
PUC Board, Malleswaram
BBMP Office, Hudson Circle
Hockey Stadium, Nanjappa Circle, Shantinagar
Kanteerava Stadium, Kasturba Road
Synthesis, Electronics City
Ramamandir, Rajajinagar
Kabaddi Stadium, Vidyapeet Circle

Appointments

You can visit www.ceguid.karnataka.gov.in and book an appointment for enrolment.

www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report-bangalore-exclusive-aadhaar-centres-for-elderly-disabled-1854397