**Executive Summary:**
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), initiated the Unique Disability ID (UDID) project in May 2016. This project aims to create a national database of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and issue a Unique Disability Identity Card to each eligible applicant, operating through a centralized online platform. As of the current date, a significant number of applications have been registered, cards issued, and others are pending or rejected, with varying average processing times over the past three years. Data collection on educational qualifications has been discontinued since October 2024.
**Key Points / Main Content:**
* **UDID Project Overview:**
* Flagship initiative by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan).
* Launched in May 2016.
* Aims to create a national database of PwDs and issue Unique Disability Identity Cards.
* Operates via a centralized online platform: www.swavlambancard.gov.in.
* Medical authorities assess disabilities and issue certificates/UDID cards.
* **Application Statistics:**
* Total applications registered: 1,62,92,173.
* UDID cards issued: 1,25,75,946.
* Applications pending assessment: 14,83,323.
* Applications rejected: 22,32,904.
* **Average Processing Time:**
* 2022-23: 84 days.
* 2023-24: 45 days.
* 2024-25: 64 days.
* 2025-26: 21 days.
* **Literacy Data:**
* Illiterate UDID cardholders: 9,10,884.
* Literate UDID cardholders: 1,03,16,995.
* Data collection on educational qualifications discontinued from October 2024.
* UDID cards issued without education information since October 2024: 13,48,067.
* State/UT-wise figures are provided in the annexure.
**Impact Analysis**
**Persons with Disabilities (PwDs):**
* *Impact:* Facilitates access to a national database and provides a Unique Disability Identity Card for easier identification and access to benefits.
* *Action Required:* Apply for UDID through the online portal and provide necessary documentation for disability assessment.
**State/UT Governments:**
* *Impact:* Responsible for notifying medical authorities for disability assessment and issuance of certificates/UDID cards.
* *Action Required:* Onboard medical authorities to the UDID portal for disability assessment and ensure efficient processing of applications.
**Medical Authorities:**
* *Impact:* Conduct disability assessments and issue disability certificates/UDID cards based on the type and nature of the disability.
* *Action Required:* Register on the UDID portal and conduct assessments as per the guidelines.
**Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan):**
* *Impact:* Oversees the implementation and management of the UDID project nationwide.
* *Action Required:* Maintain and update the UDID portal, monitor application processing times, and ensure effective data management.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Social Justice Empowerment: The Indian government ministry responsible for social justice and empowerment, including the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan).
Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Divyangjan: A department under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, focused on the empowerment of persons with disabilities.
Unique Disability ID (UDID): A project to create a national database for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and issue a Unique Disability Identity Card to each eligible applicant.
Persons with Disabilities (PwDs): Individuals with disabilities, as defined and recognized by the Government of India.
Shri Anto Antony: Member of Parliament who raised a question in Lok Sabha regarding UDID applications.
Shri B.L. Verma: Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment who provided the answer to the Lok Sabha question.
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Parliament of India, where the question regarding UDID applications was raised.
Andhra Pradesh: A state in India mentioned in the annexure regarding the number of UDID card holders.
Government of India
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
(Divyangjan)
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-3852
TO BE ANSWERED ON 12/08/2025
UDID Application
3852. Shri Anto Antony:
Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:
(a) the details and total number of UDID applications have been received nationwide since
inception of the scheme;
(b) the details of total number of UDID cards issued and pending applications;
(c) the details of the average processing time during the last three years; and
(d) the details of the percentage of UDID holders who are literate, illiterate and unreported in
the education section, State-wise?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
(SHRI B.L. VERMA)
(a) The Unique Disability ID (UDID) project is a flagship initiative of the Department of
Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice &
Empowerment, Government of India. Launched in May, 2016, the project aims to create a
national database of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and to issue a Unique Disability
Identity Card to each eligible applicant.
The project operates through a centralized online platform, the UDID portal
www.swavlambancard.gov.in, wherein medical authorities notified by the respective
State/UT Governments are on boarded for the assessment of disabilities and issuance of
disability certificates/UDID cards based on the type and nature of disability.
Since inception, a total of 1,62,92,173 applications have been registered on the UDID
portal.
(b) As on date 1,25,75,946 UDID cards have been issued across the country and 14,83,323
applications are pending under the assessment. The remaining 22,32,904 applications are
rejected due to various reasons.(c) The average time taken during the last three years and current year to issue a UDID card
is given below:
Year Average processing time (in days)
2022-23 84
2023-24 45
2024-25 64
2025-26 21
(d) As per the records available, a total of 9,10,884 UDID cardholders have been recorded as
illiterate, while 1,03,16,995 cardholders have been recorded as literate.
It is mentioned that w.e.f. October 2024, the UDID application form has discontinued the
collection of data on educational qualifications. Consequently, 13,48,067 UDID cards have
since been issued without any recorded information regarding the educational status of the
applicants. The State/UT wise figures are at annexure.
******Annexure
Annexure referred to in reply to part (d) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3852 to be answered on 12.08.2025 regarding “UDID
Application”
State/UT Name UDID card holders UDID Cards without No. of literate UDID card holders No. of Illiterate UDID card holders
with qualification qualification details and their percentage in respect of and their percentage in respect of
details as on from 16.10.2024 total UDID card holders in the total UDID card holders in the
15.10.2024 onwards country country
No. of literate Percentage No. of illiterate Percentage
UDID card UDID card holders
holders
Andaman And 5699 1056 5269 0.04 430 0.0034
Nicobar Islands
Andhra Pradesh 964253 16559 938880 7.47 25373 0.2018
Arunachal Pradesh 3869 513 3460 0.03 409 0.0033
Assam 212425 19313 166466 1.32 45959 0.3655
Bihar 527269 114479 479628 3.81 47641 0.3788
Chandigarh 10717 1498 10147 0.08 570 0.0045
Chhattisgarh 252394 15254 244491 1.94 7903 0.0628
Delhi 78539 18892 67731 0.54 10808 0.0859
Goa 10662 1714 10462 0.08 200 0.0016
Gujarat 422071 46732 408076 3.24 13995 0.1113Haryana 196469 25801 161944 1.29 34525 0.2745
Himachal Pradesh 97657 8718 84629 0.67 13028 0.1036
Jammu And 200050 19126 149512 1.19 50538 0.4019
Kashmir
Jharkhand 187566 14695 175896 1.40 11670 0.0928
Karnataka 812818 73815 661934 5.26 150884 1.1998
Kerala 351016 45470 337122 2.68 13894 0.1105
Ladakh 3722 205 3537 0.03 185 0.0015
Lakshadweep 972 215 851 0.01 121 0.0010
Madhya Pradesh 885470 77330 860167 6.84 25303 0.2012
Maharashtra 1147994 145584 1084340 8.62 63654 0.5062
Manipur 13245 2123 11053 0.09 2192 0.0174
Meghalaya 30808 2775 30687 0.24 121 0.0010
Mizoram 6147 510 6073 0.05 74 0.0006
Nagaland 3058 622 2969 0.02 89 0.0007
Odisha 726449 130786 604297 4.81 122152 0.9713
Puducherry 21695 1759 21385 0.17 310 0.0025
Punjab 354126 19771 323210 2.57 30916 0.2458
Rajasthan 535459 139501 530556 4.22 4903 0.0390Sikkim 5121 447 5065 0.04 56 0.0004
Tamil Nadu 817124 108480 762118 6.06 55006 0.4374
Telangana 774085 7198 774075 6.16 10 0.0001
The Dadra And 3930 493 3659 0.03 271 0.0022
Nagar Haveli And
Daman And Diu
Tripura 36251 4982 35867 0.29 384 0.0031
Uttar Pradesh 1383869 175844 1220339 9.70 163530 1.3003
Uttarakhand 94874 6567 87206 0.69 7668 0.0610
West Bengal 49958 101020 43851 0.35 6107 0.0486
Total 11227831 1349847 10316952 910879