Assistance to the Disabled Persons For Purchase /Fitting of Aids/Appliances (ADIP Scheme)

It has been the constant endeavour of the Government to provide the disabled persons with aids/appliances at minimum costs. The requirement for providing of aids/appliances, which are essential for the social, economic and vocational rehabilitation of the disabled persons, has come into sharp focus, particularly after the enactment of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 , which came into force in 1996. 

Various surveys conducted from time to time have made it clear that India has a very large number of disabled persons. Many of them come from low-income groups. Disability restricts their opportunities for leading functionally productive lives. From the application of modern technology, there have emerged a number of aids, which can reduce the effects of disabilities and enhance the economic potential of the disabled. To illustrate a wheel chair, an artificial limb, crutch, a brace, a splint can greatly improve the mobility of physically disabled individual. Similarly, with the help of a powerful hearing aid, persons with some residual hearing can be helped to carry on many activities of daily living. Low vision aids can help the persons with substantially reduced vision to read, print and undertake other activities resulting in their rehabilitation. However, large number of disabled persons are deprived of the benefits of these appliances because of their inability to find funds to purchase them.

In the light of the Government’s growing stress on helping disabled persons and in bringing the aids and appliances within their reach, it has been decided to continue the ADIP Scheme and modify it in such a way that it becomes more user-friendly and the needy are not deprived of aids/appliances, which are essential for their social, economic and vocational rehabilitation. If they can, thereby, become earning members they would be much closer to achieve economic self-dependence and also be able to live and pursue their activities with dignity.

The main objectives of the Scheme is to assist the needy disabled persons in procuring durable, sophisticated and scientifically manufactured, modern, standard aids and appliances that can promote their physical, social and psychological rehabilitation, by reducing the effects of disabilities and enhance their economic potential. The aids and appliances supplied under the Scheme shall conform to BIS specifications to the extent possible.

The Scheme shall also include under its ambit, medical/surgical correction & intervention, which is essential prior to fitment of aids and appliances. The cost could range from Rs. 500/- for hearing & speech impaired to Rs.1000/- for visually disabled and Rs.3,000/- for orthopaedically disabled.

ELIGIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING AGENCY UNDER THE SCHEME

The following agencies would be eligible to implement the Scheme on behalf of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, subject to fulfillment of laid down terms and conditions:

i) Societies, registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and their branches, if any, separately.

ii) Registered charitable trusts

iii) District Rural Development Agencies, India Red Cross Societies and other Autonomous Bodies headed by District Collector/Chief Executive Officer/District Development Officer of Zilla Parishad.

iv) National/Apex Institutes including ALIMCO functioning under administrative control of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment/Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

v) State Handicapped Development Corporation

vi) Local Bodies – Zilla Parishad, Municipalities, District Autonomous Development Councils and Panchayats.

vii) Nehru Yuvak Kendras.

Grant-in-aid under the Scheme will not be given for commercial supply of aids/appliances.

The NGOs should preferably possess professional/technical expertise in the form of professionally qualified staff (from recognised courses) for the identification, prescription of the required artificial aids/appliances, fitment and post-fitment care of the beneficiaries as well as the aid/appliance.

The NGO should also preferable possess infrastructure in the form of machinery/equipment for the fabrication, fitment and maintenance of artificial aids/appliances to be given to a disabled person under ADIP scheme.

Implementing Organisations should network and establish linkages with medical college /district hospitals/rural hospitals/PHCs/fitment centres of ALIMCO/DRCs/any other professionally competent agency to acquire/avail the requisite infrastructure for fitment and maintenance of aids/appliances distributed under ADIP Scheme available with these bodies. The Implementing Agencies shall also avail of the professional/technical expertise of above-mentioned agencies for fitment and post fitment care of the beneficiaries as well as aids/appliances. National Institutes , fitment centres of ALIMCO and DRCs functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Social justice and Empowerment shall also assist DRDAs and other autonomous organisations to develop requisite manpower and infrastructure over a period of time to provide satisfactory service to the beneficiaries under the Scheme. Such organisations while applying for the grant under the Scheme shall produce sufficient proof of linkages with the professional agencies preferably in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding.

i) He/she should be an Indian citizen of any age.

ii) Should be certified by a Registered Medical Practitioner that he/she is disabled and fit to use prescribed aid/appliance.

iii) Person who is employed/self –employed or getting pension and whose monthly income from all sources does not exceed Rs. 8,000/- per month.

iv) In case of dependents, the income of parents/guardians should not exceed Rs. 8,000/- per month.

v) Persons who have not received assistance from the Government , local bodies and Non-Official Organisations during the last 3 years for the same purpose. However, for children below12 years of age this limit would be 1 year.

i) All items including in locomotor disabled.
ii) Tricycle and wheel chair including the modifications to suit the individual.
iii) All types of educational kits required for the mentally disabled.
iv) Any suitable device as advised by the Rehabilitation Professional or treating physician.

MULTIPLE DISABLED

i) Any suitable device as advised by Rehabilitation Professional or treating physician.

VISUALLY DISABLED

i) Learning equipments like arithmetic frames, abacus, geometry kits etc. Giant Braille dots system for slow-learning blind children . Dictaphone and other variable speed recording system. Tape recorder for blind student upto XII standard.

ii) Science learning equipments like talking balances, taking thermometers, measuring equipments like tape measures, micrometers etc.

iii) Braille writing equipments including Braillers, Braille shorthand machines , typewriters for blind students after the XII class. Talking calculators, Geography learning equipment like raised maps and globes

iv) Communication equipments for the deaf-blind. Braille attachments for telephone for deaf-blind persons.

v) Low vision aids including hand-held stand, lighted and unlighted magnifiers, speech synthesisers or Braille attachments for computers.

vi) Special mobility aids for visually disabled people with muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy like adapted walkers.

HEARING DISABLED

i) Various types of hearing aids.
ii) Educational kits like tape recorders etc.
iii) Assistive and alarming devices including devices for hearing of 
telephone, TV, doorbell, time alarm etc.
iii) Communication aids like portable speech synthesizer etc.

a) A copy of Registration Certificate.

b) A copy of Rules, Aims and Objectives of the Organisation.

c) A copy of Certified Audited Accounts and Annual Report for the last year.

d) Name of the Members of Management Committee of the Organisation.

e) List of identified beneficiaries and types of aids/appliances required by the organisation for supply/fitting to the identified beneficiaries.

f) Estimated expenditure for distribution/fitting of aids/ appliances amongst the identified beneficiaries.

g) An Undertaking that the funds will not be utilised for any other purposes.

h) An Undertaking to maintain a separate account of the funds received from the Ministry under the scheme.

i) The Implementing Agencies already receiving grant-in-aid under the Scheme should also furnish the list of beneficiaries assisted from the grant-in-aid released to them in the previous year as per proforma given in Annexure –IV and utilisation certificate as per Annexure –V.

j) A calendar of activities for entire financial year including probable dates for holding camps etc. for distribution of aids/appliances and also maintain separate account for that.

k) An Undertaking that the organisation will provide post distribution care to the beneficiaries as well as aids/appliances on demand.

l) Organisation should be financially sound and viable and has requisite capability to mobilise the resources.

m) The organization shall have working rapport with the District Administration and shall have capacity to utilise the expertise available with District Administration for identification of aids/appliances.

RECOMMENDATION

The State Government/UT Administration/National Institute/RRTC/DRC/any other agency authorised by the Ministry should send its recommendation with specific remarks about:

i) Professional competence, credibility, integrity and existing infrastructure facilities for satisfactory implementation of the Scheme by the NGO/organisation.

ii) Eligibility of the organisation as laid down by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

iii) Rapport with target groups, capacity and willingness to network with other NGOs and Panchayati Raj institutions etc.

The recommendation should also include whether the NGO is getting grant-in-aid from other Ministries/ State Government etc. for the same purpose.

However, no recommendation is required in case of National Institutes and ALIMCO working under the administrative control of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

QUANTUM OF ASSISTANCE TO AN IMPLEMENTING AGENCY

No ceiling should be imposed on the quantum of assistance to be released to an implementing Agency and its branches(separately) during a particular financial year. However, while deciding on the amount of grant to be given, the performance, professional expertise, capacity, track record and outreach capabilities of the agency shall be kept in view.

The recommendation authority should create the field agencies who shall strive to conduct sample checking of beneficiaries regarding utilisation of grant-in-aid by NGOs and distribution of aids and appliances by the Implementing Agencies. The sample checking would cover at least 5 to 10 per cent of the beneficiaries, which are covered under the Scheme in the previous year.

The grant-in-aid would normally be released in two instalments after processing of audited accounts and list of beneficiaries furnished by the organisation/implementing agency to the satisfaction of the Ministry.

ii) The implementing agency will maintain a register in the prescribed proforma (Annexure-III) about the beneficiaries assisted under the Scheme.

iii) The implementing agency shall maintain a separate account of funds received and utilised from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment under the Scheme. The funds should be kept in a separate bank account to be operated under ADIP scheme.

iv) A certificate from the Head of the Implementing Agency to the effect that the funds have been utilised . A list of beneficiaries as per proforma given in Annexure- IV assisted by the organisation that the funds given by the Ministry will be furnished along with the yearly application as per procedure indicated in para 9.

v) The final accounts for a financial year will be rendered through utilisation certificate and audited accounts signed by chartered accountant within six months of the close of the financial year.

vi) The agency implementing the scheme will obtain an undertaking from the beneficiary that he/she has not obtained such aid from any other agency/source during last two years and that he/she not obtained such aid from any other agency/source during last three years and that he/she will keep it for his/her bonafide use.

vii) The agency implementing the scheme will be open to inspection by an officer/agency authorised by Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment or the State Government/UT Administration/National Institutes/DRCs etc.

viii) When the Government of India has reason to believe that the sanction is not being utilised for the approved purpose the amount would be recovered from the implementing agency with interest and no further assistance would be given to the agency.

APPLICATION FOR CENTRAL SCHEME OF ASSISTANCE TO DISABLED PERSONS FOR PURCHASE/FITTING OF AIDS/APPLIANCES

FROM DATE:

TO,

The Secretary to the Government of India,
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment,
Shastri Bhawan, 
New Delhi –110 001

Subject : Assistance under the Central Scheme of Assistance to Disabled Personas for purchase/fitting of aids/appliances.

I submit herewith an application for a grant for the year under the Scheme of Assistance to disabled persons for purchase/fitting of aids/appliances. I certify that I have read the rules and regulations of the Scheme and I undertake to abide by them, on behalf of the Management . I further agree to the following conditions :

a) All assets acquired wholly or substantially out of the Central grant shall not be encumbered or disposed off or utilised for purpose other than those for which the grant is given. Should the Institution/Organisation cease to exist at any time, such properties shall revert to the Government of India.

b) The accounts of the project shall be properly and separately maintained . They shall always be open to check by an officer deputed by the Govt. of India or the State Government. They shall also be open to test check by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India at his discretion.

c) If the State or the Central Govt. has reasons to believe that the grant is not being utilised for approved purposes, the Govt. of India may stop payment of further Instalments and recovers earlier grants in such a manner as they may decide.

d) The Institution shall exercise reasonable economy in the implementation of the scheme.

MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EMPOWERMENT 

Name of the Scheme :

I. APPLICATION FORM FOR NEW PROPOSAL

1. Organisation

Name :

Address(Office) :
(Project) :

Phone (Office) :
(Project) :

Fax (Office) :
(Project) :

Telex ( Office) : 
(Project) :

E-mail (Office) :
(Project) : 

Grams (Office) :
(Project) :

2. I) Name of the Act :
under which registered

ii) Registration No. and date :
of Registration (Please 
Attach a photocopy)

Any other Organisation/Institute/ :
Body, if applicable, give details

3. Registration under Foreign : (Yes/No)
Contribution Act 

4. Memorandum of Association and :
 Bye-Laws.
(please attach a photocopy)

5. Name & address of the Members of :
of the Board of Management/
Governing body

6. List of Documents to be attached.

a) A copy of the Annual Report for the previous year which  should contain the balance sheet (including receipt and payment account), income and Expenditure Account. 

7. Details of the project for which the grant-in aid is being applied.

8. Grant-in-aid applied for in the current year 

9. Details of beneficiaries

a) Number of disabled benefited
From previous year’s grant.

b) Proposed number of disabled expected
to be covered during current financial 
year.

10. Details of the staff available

11. List of Additional papers (if any given)