Amidst the rising demand for the Covid 19 vaccinations and the apprehensions towards the third wave of Covid 19 in India, the central government on Monday released new directions. People with disabilities will be able to get vaccinations with the Unique Disability Identification (UDID) card.
Union Health Ministry Directs States and UTs to Include UDID Card for CoWIN2.0 Registration
As per the latest reports, the states and the Union Territories (UTs) have received directions from the central government to include UDID as a prescribed photo identity document for Covid 19 vaccination.
In a letter released by the Union Health Ministry, the states and the UTs will also include UDID cards while registered on the Cowin 2.0. The guidance further noted that Cowin 2.0 already includes seven prescribed photo IDs and prescribed for verification before getting the jab.
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The Union Health Ministry said that people with disabilities have been issued the UDID cards by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice, and Empowerment. It includes necessary information like the name, year of birth, gender, and the photograph of the person. And all the information meets the criteria for the verification of the identity of the person during the Covid 19 vaccination.
“The necessary provisions for the same are being made and would be available in Cowin shortly,” the letter said.
Health Ministry Advises Governments to Publicise the Use of UDID
In the letter, the Health Ministry has further advised the state governments and the UTs to widely publicize the use of UDID as a legitimate photo ID for the Covid 19 vaccination. This step comes for another approach towards ensuring a smooth and effective Covid 19 vaccination drive that started on January 16, 2021.
The government developed the Cowin digital platform to make the process of the Covid 19 vaccination easy and smooth. The aim was to ensure that people from all categories are able to benefit from the vaccines. Cowin app or the digital platform works as a technological backbone to effectively roll out the mechanisms for Covid 19 vaccine distribution amongst citizens.
