The Rules have been notified by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment under Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

Key highlights of the amended Rules

• Application for disability certificate: Required Documents for disability certificate include proof of identity, recent photograph (not older than six months) and Aadhaar card.
  • Issuance Authority: Only a medical authority or notified competent medical authority at the district level can issue disability certificates in the district of residence of the applicant as mentioned in the proof of residence.
• Processing Time: Extended from one month to three months.
• Application Lapse Clause: Applications will lapse or become "inactive" if undecided for over 2 years.
  • Applicants must re-apply or contact the authority to reactivate the application.
• New Colour-Coded UDID Cards:
  • White: Disability below 40%.
  • Yellow: Disability between 40% and 80%.
  • Blue: Disability of 80% or above.

Concerns with the amended Rules

• Exclusion of Persons without Aadhaar: Especially those living in rural areas or from marginalized communities.
• Longer processing time: Extended processing time of three months may create hurdles for genuine persons with disabilities to get certified, so essential for identification, accessing services and entitlements.