Rourkela: Notwithstanding the Centre’s tall claim that Aadhaar cards have been beneficial to crores of Indians, there is a section that is deprived of a square meal a day courtesy introduction of unique identification system, a report said.
“My palms and eyes have been infected by the disease and this has deprived me of an Aadhaar card. Since the lens fail to take photos of retina and finger tips, I am not eligible to get the cards. In the absence of an Aadhaar card, the control dealer refuses me provision that often keeps me starved,” said Bijuli Majhi, a 65-year-old resident of Deogaon Leprosy Colony here in the city.
Earlier, Bijuli used to get five kg of rice on her ration card enough to fill her stomach. Now, she is solely dependent on others for her survival, it was learnt.
The government should explain whether people who lose their limbs and eyes don’t have rights to live in society, pointed out Bijuli.
“People like me would die of starvation unless the government comes up with a solution as soon as possible,” the sexagenarian further said.
Bijuli had lost her husband Laxman Majhi about five years back. After that she was somehow managing with five kg of rice she got from the government fair shop. However, the Aadhaar card has snatched her meals after she suffered from leprosy.
Though she went to enrolment centre on several occasions, the biometric machine failed to read her finger tips and retinas. She also approached the RMC officials and people who sit at Jana Seva Kendra but to no avail. At such an advanced age, deprivation of provisions has made me helpless, said Bijuli with tears rolling down on her cheeks.
Her daughter Subasini said she had taken her mother to some Aadhaar centres for registration. However, she felt people didn’t come forward to help her due to the disease.
She and her husband finally decided not to take the old woman to a registration centre again to face humiliation, said Subasini.
When contacted, district assistant civil supplies officer Ramachandra Tudu said he was not aware of the issue. Immediate steps would be taken to provide provisions to the woman if the allegations are found true, he added.