ATDUM for issuing UDIDs sans re-assessment
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, June 25 2024:
All Tribal Disables' Union Manipur (ATDUM) has submitted a representation to the director/chairman of State Medical Board, and the deputy director (disability) of Social Welfare Department, proposing issuance of Unique Disability IDs (UDID) and Disability Certificates without subjecting holders of the previously issued disability certificates to re-assessment.
In a statement, ATDUM said that they highlighted concerns regarding the ongoing online process for issuing UDIDs and Disability Certificates, which mandates re-assessment of individuals who already possess disability certificates issued by the State Medical Board, prior to the implementation of UDID system.
The State Medical Board, constituted by the state government, has been operational for the past decade and includes official representatives of Social Welfare Department and Medical Department, with specialised government doctors and officers from the Social Welfare Department acting as the issuing authority.
Emphasising that once a certificate is issued by this legally constituted authority, it should be deemed a valid document, ATDUM'termed as perplexing and legally questionable that documents issued by one authenticated and certified authority are not being trusted by another.
Such repeated assessment process causes undue hardship to persons with disabilities, it argued.