Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (NR/GA) 

Mangalore, Jul 9: The little known provision in the Woman and Child Welfare department, to issue identity cards to elderly citizens above 60 years has received an overwhelming response.

This drive to provide identity cards was entrusted to the Mangalore Senior Citizens Association (MCSA) with its motto “By the elderly for the elderly”, and it drew plenty of responses from the residents.

The MCSA first opened a small cell near P V S Circle and since June 18 has distributed 1,700 applications and so far has received 980 applications. After doing the necessary screening the association will soon issue an error-free ID card for the elderly. 

According to M J Hegde, president of MCSA and secretary K Ramesh Rao the first phase of distribution of ID cards would end, when the applications touches the 2000 mark and the second round of distribution would start once the ID cards are ready.

Ramesh Rao further stated that he hoped to get the first batch of ID cards released by the deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada Maheshwar Rao. 

Since the elderly citizens felt that the exercise had taken over their leisure time, stalling work, it was decided that in the second round they would be issuing cards three times a week. Further the members felt that many people from a particular community had enrolled for the facility. So they hoped that in the next round of distribution of ID cards by word of mouth members of other communities would also register for ID cards.