Disability certificate: New criteria, software glitches mar process

Among those who apply for disability certificates, most suffer from orthopaedic impairments.

Datta Baban Gawli spent his days in the city on the road in his wait for the disability certificate. Arul Horizon

At 19 years of age, Datta Baban Gawli, a vendor earning his living in local trains at Daund, suffered an accident and it led to the amputation of both his legs. Not one to give up, he got a tricycle wheelchair and started selling goods again. He availed a disability certificate from Sassoon general hospital to ensure that he could use the tricycle wheelchair in the train.

To renew the certificate, 39-year-old Gawli had reached Pune five days ahead of the scheduled day of Wednesday when both Sassoon and Aundh district hospitals issued disability certificates online. He stayed on the roads during the days and at the railway station at nights, but little did he realise that now a ration card was not the sole criteria to avail a disability certificate or renew it.

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“I was told to submit an Aadhar card or PAN card. Now, I will have to go back to Baramati and apply for an Aadhar card. Till such time, however, I will have no source of income,” he told Pune Newsline.

Gawli is among the 25,000 persons who had been issued disability certificates online, in the past three years, by Sassoon and Aundh district hospitals. According to an analysis by the hospitals, maximum number of persons seeking disability certificates suffer from orthopaedic impairments. A few persons with mental illness also seek these certificates.

The disability certificate is crucial in determining whether a person is entitled to reservation in government jobs under the physically challenged category, as mandated by the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. Those with at least 40 per cent disability are entitled to reservation under this category.

Officials at the hospitals admitted that initially there were technical glitches with the software installed to issue certificates online. Despite creating awareness about the new set of criteria for issuing these certificates, several persons were still unaware of it or had to make repeated visits to acquaint themselves with it, added officials.

The state, however, has tried to double its efforts towards the speedy dispensation of disability certificates. Since January 2013, a total of 3.6 lakh applicants have registered at 48 hospitals and a total of 2.7 lakh certificates have been issued to differently-abled persons.

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The software had been necessitated after problems of subjectivity crept in during assessments by medical boards appointed to issue disability certificates for the differently-abled to avail the 3 per cent quota in government jobs.

Ajay Taware, medical superintendent of B J Medical College and Sassoon general hospital, said that a large number of people had applied for disability certificates and those with orthopaedic ailments topped the list.

At Sassoon general hospital, over 34,000 persons have applied for disability certificates and over 21,000 certificates have been issued already. Among those issued certificates, a large number of persons suffer from orthopaedic ailments, followed by 5000 who suffer from visual impairment, another 4000 from hearing disability and 4500 from mental retardation. Only 200 persons with mental illness have been issued disability certificates.

Since 2013 till date, a total of 5840 persons have applied for disability certificates and 5453 certificates have been issued by Aundh district hospital. Sanjay Deshmukh, civil surgeon at Aundh district hospital, said that every Wednesday, at least 70-100 persons were being issued these certificates after a medical team in each department — orthopaedic, ENT, psychiatry — assessed the applicants and fed the data into the computer for the software to evaluate the extent of their disability. He admitted that the entire process was lengthy, but the certificates were being issued on the same day.

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“However, after seeing the rush on Wednesdays, we are planning to keep the Thursdays as well for the differently-abled persons to apply for disability certificates,” he added.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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