Andhra Pradesh: Mentally challenged woman gets Aadhaar after decade

GUNTUR

: Near decade-long silent struggle of the family members of a mentally challenged woman was ended on Friday when the district collector Vivek Yadav resolved the grievance within hours after receiving a complaint.

According to information, a 28-year old Boddu Chinna of Narayanapuram village in Dachepalli mandal is a mentally challenged woman by birth. Her elder sister Santhi Lakshmi has been taking care of her wellbeing since her childhood.

Although Lakshmi had tried to get Chinna’s name enrolled for government welfare benefits, she could not succeed as Chinna had no aadhaar number. In fact, Lakshmi took Chinna to local aadhaar enrolment centre many times in the last decade but could not get it registered as the staffers at the adhaar centre failed to capture her finger prints on the scanner.

Lakshmi took the issue to the notice of several officials’ right from the village level to the district level in the last several years and sought their support in resolving the issue. She pleaded with the officials to at least sanction the welfare pension to her sister without aadhaar number as she was struggling to manage her needs. However, all her appeals went unheard.

Curiously, Lakshmi continued her battle to secure adhaar for her sister and posted a message to the newly joined district collector Vivek Yadav on Friday. She explained her ordeal in getting the adhaar for her sister and pension in her message. Moved by the plight of the sisters, Yadav immediately directed Dachepalli

tehsildar

Venkateswara Naik to resolve the issue on a war footing basis.

Tehsildar Naik rushed to the residence of Chinna and enquired about the issue. He took the woman and her sister Lakshmi to the local aadhaar centre and got her finger prints captured. Tehsildar immediately granted her welfare pension and promised to grant her house-site on priority basis. “I have been trying to get the aadhaar for my sister for nearly a decade. The issue was resolved within hours after sending the message to the district collector Vivek Yadav. I owe a lot to him,” Lakshmi broke into tears.