New Delhi, 12 August

Rajya Sabha MP Mansoor Ali Khan has raised concerns over more than 10 lakh Unique Disability ID (UDID) applications that remain unaccounted for in the Government’s data, while persons with disabilities in several states continue to wait months or even years for their Unique Disability ID cards.

Raising the issue in Parliament, Khan sought State and Union Territory-wise details of UDID applications received, cards issued, rejected applications and pending cases since 2021.

According to the government’s reply, 1,15,63,288 applications have been received since 2021. While 87,62,115 cards have been generated, 8,24,951 applications were rejected and 9,63,606 remain pending. Khan pointed out that these figures leave 10,12,616 applications unexplained.

“More than 10 lakh applications concerning persons with disabilities simply cannot disappear between columns in Government data,” Khan said, demanding clarification on whether the applications were cancelled, withdrawn, duplicated, transferred or otherwise disposed of.

Khan also highlighted lengthy processing delays. The average waiting period for a UDID card was 635 days in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 431 days in Lakshadweep, 360 days in Kerala, 263 days in Delhi and 259 days in Tamil Nadu.

In Karnataka, 50,654 applications remain pending, with the average processing time at 232 days. Khan said a digital portal cannot be considered successful merely because its interface has been upgraded, stressing that timely issuance of UDID cards is crucial as they provide access to various benefits, services and entitlements.