FEROZEPUR: Like every citizen of the country has a unique Aadhar card ID, on the same lines, the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities of the ministry of social justice and impowerment has also provided a unique ID for the disabled. The UDID card is recognized as a proof of
disability
by the government of India. This means that PwDs can use their UDID card to access various
government schemes
and benefits such as financial assistance, healthcare services, education, and employment.
However, due to lack of awareness, some states are not passing on the benefits provided to the PwDs, causing harassment to them. A similar case has come to the light where a disabled person from Ferozepur has not only been harassed but charged fully while traveling in
HRTC bus
despite showing the UDID card. This disparity has confused the PwDs as it looks like they are disabled in Punjab are not disabled in Haryana as the moment the visually-impaired travelling in a Haryana Transport buses has been asked to pay the fare, despite exempted under the notification by the Government of India.
While talking to the media, Davinder Singh, the 100% visually impaired, UDID number PB0710219680033443 issued on June 18, 2019 with its permanent validity said, it is miserable that the UDID issued by the Government of India is valid in Punjab and is not recognized by the Haryana Transport Authority. He further said that the government has extended the free traveling facility to disabled persons as a gesture of goodwill to take care of their living standard. However, it is felt that the Haryana government has failed to pass on the information to the concerned departments.
He said, as a result, UDID cardholders with more than 40% disability certificates are not being given the benefit of free traveling service in buses. “Despite showing the card to the conductors, the fare is being charged from me by saying that this card is not valid as they don’t have any communication from the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment,” he said adding that whereas in the notification issued by the Directorate of Social Justice and Empowerment on 16 February 2019, HRTC has also been clearly instructed. However, due to operators not providing benefits to the disabled, thousands of disabled people in many parts of the state are deprived of the benefits of free bus service.
Pleading for the UDID to be recognized nationwide to ensure seamless access to services such as public transport, Anil Gupta, General Secretary, of Progressive Federation for the Blind, Punjab said, this issue needs standardized recognition and acceptance of disability identification across states to prevent inconvenience and ensure equal access to services for PwDs. Besides, there is a need to launch a campaign among public transport authorities across states about the UDID card and its benefits at the government and NGO levels as well.
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