To provide smooth access to COVID-19 vaccination facilities for persons with disabilities, the Centre has decided to include the Unique Disability Identification (UDID) Card in the list of prescribed Photo ID documents that are required for registration on the Co-WIN platform.
“It has been the constant endeavor of the Union Government to streamline the vaccination process for its universalization. In this backdrop, the Union Ministry of Health has written to the States/Union Territories today to include the Unique Disability Identification (UDID) Card as a Photo ID while registering on Co-WIN 2.0,” the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a statement.
The Ministry has advised the States and Union Territories to widely publicize the use of a UDID card as a permissible photo ID for accessing COVID Vaccination.
“With a view to further facilitate access to vaccination for persons with disability, it has been decided to include the UDID in the list of prescribed Photo ID document for COVID-19 vaccination. The necessary provisions for same are being made and would be available in Co-WIN shortly,” it added.
According to the Guidance note for Co-WIN 2.0 issued on March 2, 2021, seven prescribed Photo IDs were specified and prescribed for the verification of beneficiaries prior to their vaccination.
In the letter written to the States and Union Territories, the Union Health Ministry has stated that the UDID card, issued to persons with disability by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, has all the necessary features such as the name, year of birth, gender and photograph of the person, and meets the criteria for use of identification in COVID-19 vaccination.
The Ministry further said that the Co-WIN digital platform has been a great help in effectively rolling out and scaling up the mechanism for COVID Vaccine Distribution System.
“The Union Government has developed the Co-WIN digital platform to streamline the process of vaccination for various categories of beneficiaries across the country. Co-WIN provides the technological backbone to effectively roll out and scale up the mechanism for COVID Vaccine Distribution System,” it added.
Currently, the seven prescribed Photo IDs that are used for registration on the Co-WIN digital platform include Aadhar Card, Driving License, PAN Card, Passport, Pension Passbook, NPR Smart Card and Voter ID Card.