India, Feb. 21 -- It's been only 48 hours but the indefinite agitation launched by aarogya mitras is already impacting lives. Shardadevi Saroj, 57, urgently sought to register herself under the government's free MJPJAY scheme for dialysis but was turned away because there was no one to do the paperwork.

Her son, Ankit, said his mother had been told she needed dialysis only on Sunday. "We don't have the money for treatment-my father is a tailor, and the hospital is 3 km away. On Monday, and again today, we went to the centre in Kalwa but they sent us back because there was no one to register us for free services. If dialysis doesn't start soon, my mother's health will deteriorate quickly. We don't know what to do."

The Sarojes are among ...