Parents of an 18-month-old baby suffering from a serious heart ailment were a worried lot after they could not arrange for medical treatment to their daughter under YSR Aarogya Sree in the absence of the key KYC document, Aadhaar card.
After running from pillar to post, the couple, members of the Yenadi community, finally visited Integrated Tribal Development Agency project director M. Rani and explained to her the child’s plight. Ms. Rani then arranged for the Aadhaar card and the necessary medical treatment for the child. After a free surgery to repair a hole in the heart, she is now healthy.
Her case, however, is not an isolated one as many of the tribespeople are without Aadhaar card. As a result, they are unable to access the welfare schemes of the Union and State governments. Most do not have birth certificates and residence proofs as well. Braving the inhospitable terrain, they trek the forests and do odd jobs for living, such as catching rats and snakes in farms in the plains or fishing in creeks.
