Sex workers are systematically excluded from formal systems for want of identification and proof of residence — the same exclusion that created Usha in 1995. A PAN card, a bank account or a ration card is not paperwork; it is the difference between being eligible for the state’s protection and being invisible to it.
A total of 18,286 entitlement-related documents and registrations were facilitated. The largest categories were PAN cards (8,689) and new bank accounts (4,053), followed by registration under state welfare schemes: e-Shram (1,617), Sambhal (1,514), Subhadra Yojna (1,002) and Lakshmi Bhandar (988).
Proper documentation enabled community members to reach health insurance, pension schemes, financial services and livelihood opportunities that require valid identity and eligibility papers.