Leprosy has long been in the world the only difference today is the divide from the rich to the poor. The rich can afford medications… the poor cannot. This means that the rich can live comfortably for a longer period of time while the poor are sent to a leprosy village and asked to live with other leprosy affected persons, suffer the stigma of the society and depend on handouts from the Government – it they haven’t lost their limbs to the disease.
Hanumayamma was 13 when she was diagnosed with leprosy. Afraid that they would be ostracized at their village, Obulesunipalle, in Guntur district, her family took her to a colony for the leprosy-afflicted at Bapatla, 140 km away and left her to fend for herself. Though there was a school there, Hanumayamma preferred to join the adults and beg.
By the time of her marriage in 1970, Hanumayamma had lost her fingers and toes to the disease. Over five decades, her legs were reduced to stumps. She and her husband now live at the Jesus Grace Leprosy Colony opposite the Vijayawada International Airport. They were relocated there by an NGO, which also offered monthly rations in 1997.
The NGO subsequently wound up, and the couple had to beg full-time. At about the same time, the government gave them pension and rations because they had a permanent colony address. While she gets a pension of ?1,500 a month due to 100% disability, Daniyelu gets only ?1,000 because his disability is 50%.
The Andhra Pradesh Government gives a ration of an additional 20 kg rice for the leprosy-affected. (Five kg per head for those below the poverty line.) But for four months now, Daniyelu has been bedridden from a back injury and cannot go to the ration shop. While his wife finds it difficult to travel, she still made the effort to do so. On reaching the ration shop, she was turned down by the authorities saying that she does not have a finger print. It’s true, because she lost her finger and toes to the disease.
The Andhra Pradesh Government introduced biometric authentication linked to Aadhaar for the distribution of commodities. But since then, the leprosy-affected have had trouble getting their rations. Unfortunately, even the iris scanners do not work for them. Leprosy affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosal surfaces of the upper respiratory tract, and eyes.
The story is the same for the monthly pension. Government staff come to the colony, but they use fingerprint scanners and people like Hanumayamma do not get the money. She had to open a bank account and the money is now deposited in it.
“I had a difficult time opening a bank account. But then the bank authorities allowed me to open one with the impression of my hand,” she said.
“For centuries the leprosy-affected have been ostracized. After independence they have been confined to colonies. Now this digital ostracism,” said M. Radhika, a social worker.
Leprosy Department Joint Director P. Rajendra Prasad who coordinates between 13 District Leprosy Officers (DLO) said the problem had been brought to his notice.
The District Rural Development Agency the nodal agency was working out a solution. The Civil Supplies, Municipal Administration and other departments had been addressed to exempt those affected from fingerprint scans, he said.
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