I am afraid, I can not go with the very idea of bifurcating/trifurcating either issuance of certificate or purposes for which it is meant!
It would create innumerable problems and needless confusion in a field already beset with multiplicity of approaches and problems. Suitable broadening of medical board/pannel for issuing a unified card is the proper remedy in my view. I have sent my comments to MSJ and CCPD, without acknowledgement, as yet!!!! Rajesh ----- Original Message ----- From: "Harish Kotian" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 9:02 PM Subject: Re: [AI] proposed comments > Hi > Strangely, my mail did not hit the list and hence I am resending it again. > Please read on for it. > Harish. > > Hello Rajesh > > Infact am appreciative of the move of the CCPD in making 2 type of > disability certificate. One should look at it like the ration card, I > think > it is the green card and the white card. Where the privelledges changes. > > The type 1 card is very substantive touching things like legal claims, > employment, university admissions etc. Here the users can certainly take > extra effort to obtain this type of card. > > The type 2 card gives monetary benefitsand hence the procedure for > obtaining > is kept simple. Besides, suitable kits would be made to operationalise it. > The loss occuring out of misuse is borne by the service providers where as > in type 1 card it is effecting the blind persons as a whole. > > It should be made very clear in the type 1 card that the holder need not > obtain type 2 card and all priveleges of type 2 would be available to > them. > > The CCPD should maintain a National register database of all certificates > issued and each certificate should have a unique ID number which should be > a > running number. > The extent of disability should be strictly as defined in PWD and no new > defination like percentage of disability be adopted. > > Any person who issues a false certificate should be severely punished and > debarred from issuing certificates. > > Any person claiming benifits using false certificates should be taken as > a > criminal act and punished accordingly. > > The type 1 certificate should also be optionally available as a smart card > with additional fee with details captured in it. > > Harish. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Rajesh Asudani" < > [EMAIL PROTECTED] .org.in> > To: < > [email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 5:27 PM > Subject: [AI] proposed comments > >> Here are my tentative comments on the draft procedure of issuing >> disability certificate. >> >> They contain my basic contentions for simplification of the same. >> >> Would be grateful for suggestions/improvements, as well as after final >> adoption of the same by group tomorrow or so, for forwarding the same >> individually by as many individuals as possible as well as collectively >> by >> NGOs etc. >> >> >> Rajesh >> >> >> >> Ashish Kumar, Secretary of the Committee and Deputy Director General, >> >> Room No. 610, 'A' Wing, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi - 110001 (Phone & >> >> Fax No. 23383853, E-mail: >> >> > [EMAIL PROTECTED]). >> >> >> >> Comments on the draft procedure of issuing disability certificate >> >> >> >> Sir >> >> >> >> I, a totally blind person, serving as class I officer in the Reserve bank >> of India, associated with a number of NGOs working in the field of >> disability, wish to submit following comments on the draft procedure for >> issuing disability certificates as published by your ministry for your >> kind perusal and considered implementation: >> >> >> >> 1.. Purpose: >> The said draft procedure is purportedly being designed to simplify and >> streamline the issuance of disability certificate. It indicates that >> existence of problems and anomalies in the procedure is acknowledged. >> Such >> difficulties and irregularities, pertain, in my view, to: >> >> i. enormous difficulty in obtaining a valid disability certificate by the >> deserving; >> >> ii. Misuse of the procedure by undeserving by obtaining false >> certificates >> or by obtaining certificates of lesser/grater disability than actual; >> >> iii. Obtention of certificate by inhabitants of villages who have to take >> grate pains for the purpose; >> >> iv. multiplicity of authorities apart from medical board who are required >> to endorse the said certificate before it may be used for various >> purposes >> like travel concession, employment etc. >> >> v. lack of knowledge and utter ignorance on the part of governmental >> people like railway clerks etc. who actually deal with the disabled while >> availing various facilities Such ignorance and resulting arbitrariness is >> the consequence of non existence of single authority for issuing a valid >> disability certificate for all purposes. >> >> The aim of revised procedure should be to obviate these and all other >> difficulties. >> >> >> >> 2.. Simplification!!! >> Reading of draft procedure as a whole makes it clear that a three-tier >> structure consisting of PHC doctor, panel of specialists/paramedics and >> the medical board is proposed for issuing disability certificates >> respectively for: >> >> i. Readily discernible disabilities like total >> blindness, etc. valid for purposes specified in Para ii;, non-discernible >> disabilities like low vision, mental retardation, valid for purposes >> specified again in Para ii; and all disabilities valid for purposes >> specified in Para I like employment etc. >> >> The whole set-up would inevitably result in a host of different >> authorities issuing disability certificates creating an all round >> confusion. The situation would be chaotic and far from simple. It may >> even >> result in the same person being certified disabled for some purposes say, >> by PHC doctor, but not for other purposes, say by the medical board. The >> multiplicity of authorities would become overwhelming even for educated >> government clerks/supervisors to comprehend, let alone the disabled >> persons themselves. To tell you the ground realities, I have been asked, >> on numerous occasions, why the certificate has been signed by three >> doctors when it should be signed by one only!!!!!! In actuality, a >> disabled person would have to obtain all the two/three different >> disability certificates from various authorities in order to obtain any >> facility/concession. >> >> The intention behind delegating powers to PHC doctors is indeed >> admirable, >> as it is supposed to ameliorate difficulties faced by rural inhabitants >> in >> obtaining certificate for various schemes etc. However, in actuality, the >> move would give rise to widespread corruption defeating the very purpose >> of the move and various government schemes. From another point of view, >> the utility of empowering PHC doctors is seriously jeopardized by the >> fact >> that more than half of country's primary health centers do not have >> functioning doctor at any given time. Naturally, it is not a villager's >> cup of tea, given non-availability/absence of doctor, or absence of basic >> infrastructure like stationary, to take advantage of the proposed move. >> >> Bifurcation/trifurcation of the purposes for which disability certificate >> issued by various authorities would be valid, is also disconcerting and a >> potential contributor to conflicting interpretations and consequent >> discord and denial of services to the disabled. Confusion it would >> create, >> may only be imagined. The proposed aim of facilitating rural folk in >> obtaining the certificate may be served by employing mobile teams and >> also >> by the moves proposed in following paras of this comment. >> >> >> >> 3.. All-purpose disability certificate: >> >> >> It goes without saying, after perusal of the above paras that the >> disability certificate, issued in any manner, should be a certificate >> valid for all practical and theoretical purposes, where the factum of an >> individual being a person with a disability is material. Bifurcation of >> the purposes would serve no purpose in the long run and is >> self-defeating. >> It adds to the harassment of the persons seeking certificates for varying >> purposes. >> >> >> >> 4.. Full faith and credit clause: >> >> >> In addition to above, the requirement of separate endorsement by various >> authorities for availing concessions like travel concession by road >> [Depot >> manager endorsing] rail [railway doing so] etc. should be done away with. >> The fact that disability certificate has been issued by a competent >> authority, is enough to establish the disability and should be accepted >> duly. The jurisdictional conflict/variety like road and rail travel >> falling under state and centre respectively has to be taken care of. For >> this, full faith and credit clause contained in article 261 of our >> constitution which accords full faith and credit to all public acts, >> records and judicial proceedings of any state throughout India may be >> invoked. >> >> >> >> 5.. Broadening medical board: The question of reaching far-flung and >> rural areas and making all facilities available to inhabitants of such >> areas, which has seemingly prompted the move to empower PHC doctors to >> issue certificates for discernible disabilities for some purposes, also >> needs to be given due importance. For accomplishing this, the >> constitution >> of the medical board which should be the authority for issuing the single >> certificate valid for all the purposes should be broadened so as to >> include relevant specialists at Taluka/tahaseel/village level. It may be >> accomplished by hiring the services of private >> practitioners/specialists/paramedical staff, as contemplated in the >> draft. >> The three-tiered structure should be replaced by such a broad based >> medical board which could assess the applicants at the taluka level at >> least, and forward the certificate for signature to civil surgeon/head of >> medical board. >> The practice of dispatching mobile teams to remote areas may be continued >> with grater vigor. >> >> In addition to above, in the present era of deployment of technology for >> various purposes, after examination of the concerned person by a >> specialist/paramedic staff, the subsequent process of routing the >> certificate may also be e-enabled. Even telemedicine/conferencing may be >> employed for assessing the individual. >> >> >> >> 6. Simple drafting: >> >> >> >> The certificate so issued should be drafted in as simple a language as >> possible to avoid any misconstruction on the part of all involved. The >> draft may read like: >> >> >> >> "I, the Head of medical board for district ---, hereby being satisfied >> upon examination of Shree smt kum --- by specialist, certify that he/she >> is having [name of disability] to the extent ---. This certificate is the >> proof of his/her disability wherever such proof is called to be >> furnished." The certificate may contain necessary particulars of the >> holder to easily identify her/him. >> >> >> >> 6.. Permanent/temporary certificate: >> >> >> According to current guidelines, permanent certificate is to be issued in >> cases where disability is irreversible and temporary in all other cases. >> However, medical boards have at least in some places, virtually stopped >> issuing permanent certificates. This practice should be strictly >> forbidden, and appropriate certificates be issued. >> >> >> >> 8. Language: >> >> The certificate should be bilingual, i.e. in English as well as in Hindi, >> which would serve the purpose throughout India. >> >> >> >> 9. If at all, the above suggestions do not find favor with decision >> makers >> and it is decided to retain bifurcation/trifurcation of purposes and >> authorities, The lists of purposes should be as exhaustive as possible, >> and any RMP practitioner be strictly forbidden from meddling >> himself/herself in the process of issuance. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> To unsubscribe send a message to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> with the subject unsubscribe. >> >> To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, >> please visit the list home page at >> > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in >> > To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. 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