BHUBANESWAR: Amidst a huge backlog of unique disability ID (UDIDs or Swavlamban cards) applications, the state government has decided to rope in all the 14 medical colleges and hospitals (MCHs) for assessment and issuance of such cards.
The Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) and Health departments recently reviewed the roadblocks after the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment pointed out the huge backlog in certain districts and instructed early clearance in order to facilitate the benefits under various schemes for persons with disabilities (PwDs).
The State Assembly Standing Committee had also recently raised concern over non-sitting of medical boards in due frequency to clear the backlog. After an application is submitted in the UDID portal, it is examined by specialists in the medical boards of hospitals before the IDs are issued by the SSEPD department.
Odisha has the third-highest number of applications pending for UDIDs in the country, depriving PwDs from availing government benefits. According to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, while around 1.47 crore applications for the IDs are pending across the country, Odisha is yet to process its share of 1,78,628 applications. It comes third after Uttar Pradesh which has the highest 2.16 lakh applications pending followed by Maharashtra with 1.92 lakh pending applications.
Director of SSEPD department Parul Patawari said to tide over the issues, it has been decided to add more medical boards in the state, one each in all government-run medical colleges as well as the SVNIRTAR. The department has also decided to request the ministry to incorporate Odia language in the UDID portal for ease of use.
The CDM & PHOs in the Health department will assess the availability of specialists and accordingly, prepare the calendar for holding the medical boards for assessment of the applications.
Similarly, to speed up the process in high-pendency districts like Ganjam, Balasore and Cuttack, the SSEPD department had decided that the social security officers of the three districts will provide necessary assistance to the medical boards and an incentive of `5,000 each every month given to the CDMOs from the BBSA funds.