Aadhaar unites speech-impaired woman from MP with family

Ahmedabad: An initiative to get a woman's Aadhaar card verification for a Mamta card unlocked the secret that the women and child development department officials attempted to solve for two months. The pregnant woman had speech and hearing impairment along with mental illness, and the officials could not ascertain her identity. Once she was taken for biometric records, the officials of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) revealed that she already had her record, and she was identified as a resident of Madhya Pradesh.Jigar Jasani, a women and child development official in Ahmedabad, said that the woman was found at the Ahmedabad railway station in Kalupur and was initially lodged at the Sakhi One Stop Centre.
"The officials tried to glean information from her about her family and contacts, but she could not answer our questions. We prodded her to write, but her writing was also illegible. She was taken to Govt Hospital for Mental Health initially and then was shifted to the observation home in Odhav. Her medical check-up indicated that she was about three months pregnant when found," he added.The officials took her to get her Aadhaar card prepared so that she could avail benefits under the Mamta scheme, including vaccination and supplements. When her biometric record was taken, the officials were pleasantly surprised that her name and other details were on the screen. She was identified as a resident of Madhya Pradesh. Based on the same record, her family details were sought, and the officials contacted her family."She immediately identified her mother on a video call, and it was an emotional moment. From no hope of finding her family, we came a long way to unite her with the family members. It was revealed that she was married and, after a tiff at her residence, left home to meet her mother, who was in Kutch. But she got down in Ahmedabad and then could not remember the details," said an official.