Unique ID for Persons with Disabilities (UDID) Project

The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities launched the “Unique Disability ID”(UDID) project. It aspires to create an all-encompassing, fully integrated system for the issuance of universal identification cards and disability certificates for people with disabilities, complete with information about their identification and disabilities. A National Database for PwDs will be created as part of the Unique ID for Persons with Disabilities project, and each PwD will receive a unique disability identity card. In addition to promoting transparency, efficiency, and convenience of delivery of government benefits to people with disabilities, the project will also guarantee uniformity. Additionally, the initiative would facilitate the tracking of beneficiaries’ material and financial success at all tiers of implementation, including the village, block, district, state, and national levels.

Objectives of the UDID Project:

• To identify each person with a disability and issue them a unique disability ID card via a web portal in order to develop a national database for people with disabilities (PwDs).
• Give provide disability certificates to those with new disabilities as well as to those who are still undocumented in accordance with the RPwD Act 2016
• Encourage the delivery of government benefits to PwDs, such as scholarships, skill training, inclusive education, rehabilitation, pensions, and rail concessions, should be transparent, effective, and simple.
• Monitoring the financial and physical success of benefit delivery at all levels of the implementation hierarchy, from the village, block, district, state, and national levels. 
• The goal is to create an all-encompassing, seamless system for generating ID cards for PwDs that contains information about their identification as well as their handicap.

Important Elements of the UDID Project:

• Through a single web application, data about people with disabilities are online and accessible nationwide.
• Online registration and submission of the application for a universal ID card or disability certificate; Agencies may also accept and later digitize offline applications.
• Quick Assessment procedure used by hospitals and the medical board to determine the percentage of disability
• No data from PwDs are duplicated.
• Management information system (MIS) reporting framework for online information renewal and updating by people with disabilities
• Effective management, including interoperability, of the government’s benefits and programs for people with disabilities
• To address future disabilities that may arise. There are currently seven disabilities, but that number could rise to 19 or more in accordance with the new Act or announcement.

Four different kinds of information are needed:

• Personal details including address
• Disability details
• Employment details
• Identity details

Coverage for Disabilities:

• Blindness
• Cerebral palsy
• Low vision
• Loco-motor impairment
• Leprosy-cured
• Mental retardation
• Mental illness
• Hearing impairment

Various Initiatives/Programs for Disabled People: 

1. Campaign for an Accessible India: It is a program that is about to start serving the nation’s population of people with disabilities. The program includes an index to rate the design of buildings and human resource practices that are accessible to people with disabilities. It helps in creating an environment for People with Disabilities.
2. DeenDayal  Disabled Rehabilitation Program: NGOs receive financial support in order to offer a range of services to people with disabilities.
3. Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP): It attempts to assist the disabled by putting appropriate, dependable, cutting-edge, standard aids and equipment within their grasp.
4. National Fellowship for Disabled Students: Its goal is to give individuals with impairments more possibilities to pursue higher education.

Recently, the Unique Disability ID (UDID) plan for People with Disabilities (PwD) in the 75 districts was requested to be implemented more quickly by the states by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. As part of its 90-day campaign in areas “picked on the basis of unsung heroes of India’s liberation struggle” for Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Rural Development Ministry has chosen the UDID program. The effort sought to completely cover 17 Central plans across the 75 districts.

Conclusion:

The UDID scheme’s performance after it was launched has not yet reached the PwDs at the intended rate. The goal of creating a nationwide database for PwDs requires a more nuanced approach due to the high rate of pending status in cards reaching beneficiaries, high application rejection rate, and little knowledge among those associated to the program. The accountability for accomplishing certain goals within a potential time frame must be laid forth in a policy document. Otherwise, given their strict schedule of priorities, it becomes challenging for the agencies to assume responsibility, and things might not be done. The department should give the districts timely access to sufficient financial and infrastructure support for the UDID Scheme to operate successfully. In spite of the numerous responsibilities at hand and the district’s limited resources, the program for inclusion is consistently monitored and encouraged by the monitoring authority. Many of the problems with the scheme that were evident in this particular instance may also apply to other situations. Due to their uniqueness, districts might also be facing their own problems. The proper strategy for dealing with them, with the objective of reaching out to all PwDs in accordance with the requirements of the RPwDs Act 2016, is what is necessary for greater performance in UDID generation.