Unique Disability ID (UDID) drive in partnership with Government of Karnataka

Persons with Disability (PwD) are considered to be a burden and looked down upon by society, depriving their constitutional rights – decent life and equal opportunities. The government spends thousands of crores to help them. Corporates and well-meaning high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) want to support them. However, reliable data which is most fundamental and critical for policy formulations and programme/project design is absent. There is no concrete data on the number of PwDs, their kinds and extent of disabilities, the government and private support that they are accessing, and the psycho-physical and socio-economic condition they are in, to name a few. This is needed for the government to form suitable policies and programmes and track them. This is needed by Corporates and HNIs to understand and design and support suitable projects and monitor.

DNA is working with the government to build this digital database.

Unique Disability ID (UDID), the project of GoI is being implemented in Karnataka since April 2019. UDID aims to create a National Database for PwDs and to issue a UDID Card to each PwD so that s/he can avail of the schemes and benefits provided by the Government. The project establishes the legal identity of a PwD and builds a digital database. The data will help the government develop policies and programmes scientifically, easy and transparent delivery of government and enrich the sector with critical information. As on December 2022 as per government data, 9.1 Lac PwDs are given UDID out of over 25 lacs PwDs in the state. In July 2022 under an MoU, the Government appointed DNA as the Nodal Agency for Unique Disability ID (UDID) card registration drive in the state to speed up the process. The drive has two phases. In Phase 1 (6 Months) DNA will study the technical and logistical challenges in the process and evolve solutions, in coordination and consultation with stakeholder Departments – Disability and Health. In Phase 2, UDIDs will be provided to the remaining PwDs in batches of 2000.

The project

- With data analysis, survey and discussions with all stakeholders from the ground to state-level government personnel, the challenges will be identified and solutions will be evolved collectively to overcome them.

- The solutions will be tested on the ground by organising camps to provide UDID to 1000 PwDs. Rs.3 Crores worth of government benefits a year will be accessed by 1000 PwDs. 

- Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will be evolved collectively to implement UDID smoothly at a high rate in the state.  

- With SOP, DNA will work with the government to provide UDIDs to at least 75% of the PwDs in the state (Total 25 Lac PwDs in the state * 75% = 19 Lacs minus 9 Lacs already provided = 10 Lac PwDs)

- 10 Lac PwDs will access government benefits worth over Rs.3000 Crores a year. Their living standard will become better.

- Real-time digital database will be created for the government to form policies and programmes scientifically and for corporates/HNIs to contribute appropriately.