Banking rights denied

Nineteen-year-old Golu Kumar Gautam was born sighted to a low income family in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. He lost his father at a young age, and his mother had to work hard to raise her three children.

When Golu was five, a fight with a neighbourhood kid cost him dearly. In the scuffle, his right eye was hit leading to a retinal detachment and permanent vision loss in one eye. He somehow managed to continue studying in mainstream school till Class VIII. But after that it became challenging and so Golu transferred to a special school for the blind in Chitrakoot.

Here, he learned life skills as a person with vision impairment. He also acquired mobility skills and how to use a phone through TalkBack. After completing school Golu moved to Lucknow to pursue his graduation. Unfortunately, he started to experience vision loss in his left eye as well. This compelled him to increasingly gain proficiency in using his smartphone.

Given his financial condition, Golu was dependent on his monthly disability pension for daily expenditure.  He also wanted to apply for state sponsored scholarship to assist in his studies. But as he told the Eyeway counselor, his bank account was opened in Azamgarh. To access cash easily in Lucknow, he needed an ATM card.

But the bank officials denied issuing him one, on grounds of his blindness. The Eyeway counselor provided Golu with the RBI issued banking guidelines which specifically state that no individual can be denied any financial service based on disability. When Golu presented the bank officials with the guidelines, they refused to acknowledge the same.

The Eyeway counselor was left with no choice but to call the concerned official directly and make them understand the consequences of denying equal services to a blind citizen. Thankfully, sense prevailed, and Golu was issued an ATM card.

He can seamlessly transact using the debit card, withdrawing as much cash from whichever location. This also leaves him free to focus on his studies and higher ambitions.

Team Eyeway