Government mandates Aadhaar for disability IDs; activists say it will only make things worse

Activists say that people with some types of disabilities caused by conditions like cerebral palsy, certain levels of autism, visual impairments, and leprosy, among others, already face trouble while registering for Aadhaar and having their biometrics captured

Despite being pulled up by a House panel on the inability of the government’s UDID (Unique Disability ID) programme to accurately record the number of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in the country in real-time, the Union government has gone on to issue gazette notifications mandating each UDID applicant to either produce an Aadhaar card or show proof of having applied for one — irrespective of whether they are a minor or an adult.

This has drawn sharp reactions from activists in the disability sector, who have said that existing mechanisms for counting PwDs are already insufficient and inaccurate, arguing that adding the Aadhaar requirement will only make the process more exclusionary. They have added that people with some types of disabilities caused by conditions like cerebral palsy, certain levels of autism, visual impairments, and leprosy, among others, already face immense trouble while registering for Aadhaar and having their biometrics captured.

Explaining the rationale for linking Aadhaar to UDIDs, a senior government official said, “Many persons apply multiple times, and so it becomes difficult to track how many real applications or cases are pending. Sometimes multiple cards from different hospitals may be taken.”

Responding to The Hindu’s questions, Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, said, “We are really tracking things and all concerns from various groups. We are in touch with State governments and the UIDAI authorities regarding any problems faced and are ready to do Aadhaar plus disability certificate camps in the districts where problems are flagged.”

Till now, the Central government’s guidelines on getting a UDID card or disability certificate applications only required an address proof and a coloured photo, which is followed up with a medical assessment by the concerned, approved authorities. In April this year, the government made UDIDs mandatory for availing of any and all benefits meant for PwDs.

And in August, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment issued gazette notifications saying that the UDID scheme required recurring expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India. As a result, it was being brought under the purview of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 under Section 7 in order to deliver all benefits linked to the UDID card.

It said that for adults, any eligible person wanting to sign up for the UDID scheme would be required to “furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication”. It added, “Any individual desirous of availing benefits under the scheme, who does not possess the Aadhaar number, or has not yet enrolled for Aadhaar, shall be required to make application for Aadhaar enrolment before registering for the scheme.”