LOGO of Disability Rights Alliance (DRA)

Wednesday, 22 November 2017

Aadhaar a double whammy for the disabled

November 22, 2017

Disability prevents enrolment; welfare benefits denied

Aadhaar centre computer operator assists young boy in placing his thumbs firmly on biometric sensor machine.
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

Friday, 10 November 2017

HC Raps Centre on Aadhaar for Differently Abled


"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

Thursday, 27 July 2017

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

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


27/July/2017

Rituparna Chatterjee

Mothers with disabled children on their laps await their turn at an Aadhaar enrolment centre

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/


Thursday, 6 April 2017

UIDAI relents. Sujitha to finally get Aadhaar card


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.

Screengrab of earlier coverage available at http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2017/mar/16/keralas-sujitha-is-paralysed-and-mute-but-uidai-system-cannot-read-fine-print-1581792.html

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




Monday, 20 March 2017

Aadhaar agony for disabled

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

Thursday, 16 March 2017

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

Sujitha with her mother Amalu at her home. She is seated and looking at the camera while her mother standing beside her looks down at her.
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

Tuesday, 7 March 2017

Aadhaar enrolment : UIDAI shows new way to disabled

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?