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Parents Of Disabled Bengal Siblings Run From Pillar To Post For Aadhaar To Get ₹600 Disability Allowance

The bank won't release the money if the account isn't linked to Aadhaar.
Ratan De/Sambad Pratidin

The parents of two disabled children are at their wit's end in Bengal's Balurghat after their daughter's disability allowance of Rs 600 was stopped by the bank because her account was not linked to Aadhaar, the Bengali daily, Sambad Pratidin reported. The plight of the Badalpur siblings came to light after mother Mina Mondal ran from pillar to post to try and get an Aadhaar card made for her daughter Mamoni, who was born with her disability.

Both Mamoni and her brother Raju were certified 100% disabled recently, but payment of Raju's allowance has not yet started. Mina narrated her harrowing tale of trying to get an Aadhaar card made for her daughter to the paper.

Since the eye scan cannot be done while lying down, Mina said she struggled to physically carry her 21-year-old daughter to the booth and make her sit upright, but was still turned away. She has, since then, run from pillar to post appealing to authorities to help get Mamoni's Aadhaar card made, without which the bank would not give her the disability allowance.

Since the eye scan cannot be done while lying down, Mina said she struggled to physically carry her 21-year-old daughter to the booth and make her sit upright, but was still turned away.

Her husband Chanchal Mandal, a brick-layer by profession, is now struggling to take care of their two children. Mamoni, according to doctors, has almost no hope of leading a normal life. Raju (17), who was perfectly healthy even seven years ago, became afflicted with a neural disorder, and have been bed-ridden and comatose since. The Balurghat Panchayat Samiti had fixed a sum of Rs 600 as monthly allowance for Mamoni, which the family has not been able to withdraw for the last two months because of the Aadhaar debacle.

Additional district magistrate, Amalkanti Roy, has reportedly looked into the matter and asked authorities to help the family get their Aadhaar card made.

Doctors have said that Raju might recover if he gets the right treatment, a possibility that currently seems distant to the harassed and impoverished family.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.