Crackdown demanded on fake disability IDs in Madurai

Members of the Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC) submitted an appeal to District Collector during weekly grievance meeting on Monday, urging the administration to identify and cancel fake Persons with Disability (PwD) identity cards issued to ineligible individuals in the district.

A. Balamurugan, District Secretary of TARATDAC, pointed out a troubling disparity that while eligible persons with genuine disabilities often wait months for their ID cards, certain individuals are illegally procuring them to swindle government benefits and funds.

He alleged that a lack of oversight within Differently Abled Welfare Department is to blame. “When officials hand over signed ID cards to staff for distribution, some staff members bypass verification in exchange for favours, issuing cards to people who have no disabilities,” Mr. Balamurugan claimed.

He further noted that officials are failing to strictly verify medical examination reports and certificates during the application process.

This negligence is not only illegal but also directly harms the truly needy by diverting opportunities—such as work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)—to fraudsters.

Despite previous complaints to senior authorities, no action has been taken against the perpetrators or the complicit officials. Citing similar rackets recently uncovered in Salem and Erode, Mr. Balamurugan appealed for Collector’s immediate intervention to resolve the issue in Madurai.