Financial Assistance Under The National Fund For Persons With Disabilities

Description
A scheme by DoEPwDs for providing financial assistance to the Persons with Disabilities PwDs in support of various livelihood activities. The objective of these guidelines is to provide a framework to support financial assistance under the Fund for certain core areas relevant for empowerment of persons with disabilities which are not covered under the budgetary support programme of the Government. The scheme aims at supporting persons with benchmark disabilities who have excelled in sports / fine-arts / music / dance / film / theatre / literature at the State level to participate in the National and International events. It also provides financial assistance for organising exhibition/ workshops at National/Regional/State level to showcase the products including paintings, handicrafts etc made by persons with disabilities.

Definitions
Southern Region
(region comprising of the following states – Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Telangana and Karnataka),
Northern Region - (region comprising of the following states – Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan),
(Source: https://disabilityaffairs.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/FinalGuidelinesSchemesNF.pdf)

Northern Region
(region comprising of the following states – Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan),
(Source: https://disabilityaffairs.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/FinalGuidelinesSchemesNF.pdf)

Western Region
(region comprising of the following states – Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh),
(Source: https://disabilityaffairs.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/FinalGuidelinesSchemesNF.pdf)

Eastern Region
(region comprising of the following states – Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Sikkim, Jharkhand),
(Source: https://disabilityaffairs.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/FinalGuidelinesSchemesNF.pdf)

North Eastern Region
(region comprising of the following states – Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura) and Rs 10 lakh for State level.
(Source: https://disabilityaffairs.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/FinalGuidelinesSchemesNF.pdf)

Benefits
• Component 1: Exhibitions/workshops to showcase the products including paintings, handicraft etc made by the PwDs.
• Establishment cost towards organising the event including cost for arranging venue, TA/DA to the participating PwDs invited to showcase their products/paintings, transportation cost etc.
• Cost of additional logistics such as arrangement for LCD screen, light, music etc.
• 50% of the grant will be released in advance and remaining 50% will be released after completion of the programme and after receival of utilization certificate.
• Maximum financial assistance will be Rs 20 lakh for National level, Rs 15 lakh for Regional level (five Regions namely, Southern Region, Northern Region, Western Region, Eastern Region, Eastern Region, North Eastern Region.
• Component 2: Support persons with benchmark disabilities who have excelled in sports / fine-arts / music / dance / film / theatre / literature at the State level to participate in the National and International events.
• To and fro Second AC train fare (shortest route) of the candidate with disability along with one escort (where as applicable), in case he/she is unable to travel alone for participation at the National event, and an amount of Rs. 2500/- per day towards boarding lodging per person.
• In case of international event, to and fro economic air fare (shortest route) and an amount of Rs. 4000/- per day for the entire duration of the event.
• Component 3: Support certain exclusive needs of persons with high support needs as recommended by the Assessment Boards on specific recommendation by the States on a case to case basis.
• The financial assistance is limited to: Actual cost of the customized mobility equipment to improve activity of daily living or Rs 1 lakh whichever is lower.

Eligibility Criteria
1. **For Component 1: Exhibitions/workshops to showcase the products including paintings, handicraft etc made by the PwDs.**
2. The organization must be one of the following - A Government organization; An organization registered under Societies Act; An organization registered under Companies Act; An organization registered under Trust Act.
3. The organization must have been registered for a period of three years or more.
4. The organization must have experience of at least 2 years in organizing exhibition/workshops in marketing products/paintings.
5. <br>
6. **Component 2: Support persons with benchmark disabilities who have excelled in sports / fine-arts / music / dance / film / theatre / literature at the State level to participate in the National and International events.**
7. The applicant must be a Person with Disability.
8. The percentage of disability must be 40% or more.
9. The Total Annual Income of Family (from all sources) of the applicant must not exceed - ₹ 3.00 Lakh per Annum (if participating in National Events and National IT Challenge); ₹ 6.00 Lakh per Annum (if participating in International Events).
10. The applicant must have either won medals in sporting events or graded as outstanding / promising artist (as per the instructions of Ministry of Culture) during the last three years.
11. The applicant must NOT have participated in a similar event before.
12. <br>
13. **Component 3: Support certain exclusive needs of persons with high support needs as recommended by the Assessment Boards on specific recommendation by the States on a case to case basis.**
14. The applicant must have high support needs as recommended by the Assessment Board constituted by the States/UTs who have approached the States and the States could not provide such assistance from their Fund and has recommended for consideration under the Fund.
15. The annual family income of the applicant must not be more than Rs 3 lakh or as may be specified by the Governing Body.

Application Process
Step 1: For Component 1: The eligible organizations may submit the proposal as per the proforma placed at Annexure-I of the guidelines along with all supporting documents addressed to:
Joint Secretary & CEO of the Fund
Room No. 527, 5th Floor, BIII Wing
P…
Offline — https://disabilityaffairs.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/FinalGuidelinesSchemesNF.pdf

For Component 1: The eligible organizations may submit the proposal as per the proforma placed at Annexure-I of the guidelines along with all supporting documents addressed to:
Joint Secretary & CEO of the Fund
Room No. 527, 5th Floor, BIII Wing
Pt. Deendayal Antyodaya Bhawan, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road,
New Delhi - 110003.
For Component 2: The eligible PwDs may submit the proposal as per the proforma placed at Annexure-II of the guidelines along with all supporting documents addressed to:
Joint Secretary & CEO of the Fund
Room No. 527, 5th Floor, BIII Wing
Pt. Deendayal Antyodaya Bhawan, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road,
New Delhi - 110003.
For Component 3: The eligible individual persons with benchmark disabilities seeking high support needs who have been assessed by the State Assessment Boards may submit the proposal as per the proforma placed at Annexure III of the guidelines along with all supporting documents addressed to:
Joint Secretary & CEO of the Fund
Room No. 527, 5th Floor, BIII Wing
Pt. Deendayal Antyodaya Bhawan, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road,
New Delhi - 110003.

Required Documents
• Certificate of Registration
• Supporting Document showing Experience of the Organization
• Memorandum of Association of the Organization
• PAN/TAN/GST Number
• Invitation letter inviting trade/marketing bodies
• Copy of valid permanent certificate of disability
• AADHAAR Number or AADHAAR enrollment number (if AADHAAR card not yet obtained).
• Certificate showing winning of medals at the State/National level or certificate showing achievement in the field of fine arts/painting/music.
• Invitation from the organizer of National/International event.
• Copy of valid permanent certificate of disability
• AADHAAR Number or AADHAAR enrollment number (if AADHAAR not yet obtained).
• Copy of the recommendations of the Assessment Board
• Certificate from the State Government conveying that the initially the proposal was submitted to them and it was not possible for the States to grant any assistance. In addition a copy of the recommendation from the State clearly indicating the requirement of assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Am I eligible to receive assistance from the fund more than once?
A: No, if a PwD has been granted assistance under the Fund for one National / International event, he will not be eligible for financial assistance for similar events.

Q: I have been invited to an event to showcase my paintings. Will this scheme cover TA/DA?
A: Yes, TA/DA is provided for travelling to the exhibition/workshop to showcase the products / paintings.

Q: I am PwD. I have high support needs. What is the maximum financial assistance I can get through this scheme?
A: The support to certain exclusive needs of persons with high support needs is as recommended by the Assessment Boards on specific recommendation by the States on a case to case basis. The financial assistance is limited to: Actual cost of the customized mobility equipment to improve activity of daily living or Rs 1 lakh whichever is lower.

Q: Is there any application fee?
A: No. The entire application process is completely free of cost.

Q: What is meant by “benchmark disability”?
A: A disability of 40% or more is termed as a benchmark disability.

Q: I am a PwD. I wish to participate in the National IT Challenge. My family income is Rs. 2.8 LPA. Am I eligible for assistance from the fund?
A: Yes, you are eligible for the assistance as per the scheme guidelines.

Q: Where can I find the prescribed proforma of the application form?
A: The proforma can be found in the annexures of the guidelines.

Q: Do I need to submit the original copies of the required documents?
A: No, only the photocopies of the required documents are needed to be submitted along with the application form.

Q: How do I know if a field in the application form is mandatory?
A: The mandatory fields have a red asterisk (*) mark at the end.

Q: Am I required to provide my AADHAAR Number in the application form?
A: Yes, AADHAAR is a mandatory document and needs to be provided by the applicant.