Accept UDID card in buses: Union Secretary to CS

CHENNAI: Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal has written to Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu over complaints from differently abled persons that the unique disability identity (UDID) card were not recognised uniformly as valid document for availing travelling concession in the state transport corporation buses.

“I am writing this letter in connection with the UDID card as a basis for benefits rolled out by the central or state or UT governments, reaching the disabled persons. A large number of representations are received by this Department from Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) having UDID card in availing concession during their travel in the transport corporation buses. The state transport departments are learned to be not uniformly recognising the UDID card as valid document for grant of travel fare concession in the transport buses,” he wrote in a letter to the Chief Secretary.

Noting that 21 disabilities have been included under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, he said that the Union government is working with state and union territory governments to generate the UDID cards to all the eligible persons as per the established procedure. “Earlier, in exercise of Rule 18(5) of RPWD Rules, 2017, the Centre had appointed January 1, 2021 as the date from which the certificate of disability will be granted only on UDID portal,” he added.

Aggarwal requested the Chief Secretary to ensure that the UDID cards are recognised and acknowledged by the concerned staff at public interface as well as at the online booking systems for disabled persons availing the travel concession benefits extended by the state.

The differently abled and blind persons are allowed to travel free in the city and town buses while they could get 75 per cent concession in the ticket fares in the mofussil buses. The travel concession would be extended to escorts of the severely affected persons as well.

Ask Railways too to use UDID: Activist

National Platform for the rights of Disabled working president S Namburajan welcomed the letter written by the Union Secretary to the state government, but wondered why they refuse to write a similar letter to the Indian Railways which has been harassing the disabled persons to get a separate certificate.

“A case filed by our association in the Delhi High Court is pending for four years. The Union Secretary should have asked the Railways to be a role model for other states by accepting the UDID card. But, the Railways insist on a separate ID card,” he added.