Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP)

What is the ADIP scheme?

Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP) is a central sector scheme of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. According to the DEPwD portal, ADIP has been operational since 1981 and helps persons with disabilities acquire durable, scientifically manufactured, modern and standard aids and appliances.

ADIP does not pay cash into a bank account. ADIP supplies the device itself. A tricycle, a motorised wheelchair, a prosthetic limb, a hearing aid, a braille kit, a smart cane or a cochlear implant: through implementing agencies such as ALIMCO, national institutes and empanelled voluntary organisations, usually at district-level assessment and distribution camps.

Key objectives

• Improve the physical, social and psychological rehabilitation of persons with disabilities by supplying suitable assistive devices.
• Raise the economic potential of the beneficiary by giving devices that support mobility, communication and work.
• Ensure devices are properly assessed, fitted and followed up, not just handed over.

Main features

• Fully funded by the Government of India as a central sector scheme.
• Aids are supplied free to the lowest income slab and at 50 percent cost to the next slab.
• Covers assistive devices, corrective surgery support and grants-in-aid to implementing agencies.
• Applications are taken online through the ARJUN portal, the joint ADIP and Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana interface.
• Revised guidelines were issued on 26 September 2024.

Who is eligible for the ADIP scheme?

You can apply if:

• You are an Indian citizen of any age. ADIP has no minimum or maximum age bar.
• You hold a disability certificate showing 40 percent or more disability, which is the benchmark disability threshold, or a UDID card carrying that percentage.
• Your monthly income from all sources does not exceed Rs 30,000. If you are a dependant, the monthly income of your parent or guardian must be within Rs 30,000.
• You have not received assistance for the same purpose in the last 3 years from any source. For children below 12 years of age the minimum interval is reduced to 1 year.
• You are recommended a specific aid by the assessment team at the camp or centre, based on your disability and daily needs.

You cannot apply if:

• Your certified disability is below 40 percent, you are not eligible irrespective of income.
• Your monthly income exceeds Rs 30,000, or your guardian's income does in the case of a dependant.
• You have already received the same aid within the last three years from ADIP, a state scheme, a CSR programme or a charity. Duplicate claims are rejected at verification.
• You want cash instead of the device. ADIP is an in-kind scheme; no cash equivalent is paid.
• You are applying only for a routine medical treatment rather than an assistive device. ADIP funds aids, appliances and specified surgical interventions such as cochlear implants, not general medical care.

How much assistance does ADIP provide?

Assistance under ADIP is decided by two things — your income slab and the cost of the aid recommended for you.

On the cost side, aids costing up to Rs 15,000 are covered in full within the applicable slab. For aids in the Rs 15,001 to Rs 30,000 band, assistance is capped at Rs 15,000. Higher-value items above Rs 30,000 are supported at a reduced share and only within a limited share of the scheme budget.

Cochlear implant surgery is the highest-value benefit under ADIP: up to Rs 7 lakh for a child aged 1 to 5 years and up to Rs 6 lakh for a child aged 5 to 18 years, carried out at a hospital empanelled under the scheme.

Beneficiaries in the lower income slab are also eligible for a transport allowance of Rs 250 and boarding and lodging support of up to Rs 100 a day for a maximum of 15 days where the fitting requires a stay at the centre.

What documents are required for ADIP?

How to apply for ADIP online

1. Open the ARJUN portal at adip.depwd.gov.in, the joint ADIP and Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana interface of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.
2. Choose the beneficiary registration option and create an account using your mobile number and Aadhaar, verifying the OTP.
3. Enter your personal details, disability type and the percentage from your disability certificate or UDID card.
4. Enter your monthly income and upload the income certificate, so the system can place you in the correct assistance slab.
5. Select the aid or appliance you need from the approved list of devices.
6. Upload the supporting documents, disability certificate, income certificate, Aadhaar, photograph and address proof.
7. Submit the application and save the registration number displayed on screen.
8. Attend the assessment camp when you are called. A team examines you, confirms the correct device and size, and records the recommendation.
9. Collect the aid at the distribution camp and sign the receipt. Devices such as prosthetics and hearing aids are fitted and adjusted on the spot.

How to apply for ADIP offline

1. Find out when the next ADIP assessment camp is being held in your district. Camps are announced by the district social welfare office, ALIMCO, the national institutes of DEPwD and empanelled voluntary organisations.
2. Carry your original disability certificate or UDID card, income certificate, Aadhaar, photograph and address proof to the camp.
3. Register at the camp counter and complete the assessment by the medical and technical team.
4. Collect the acknowledgement slip stating the device sanctioned to you and the date of the distribution camp.

You can also approach the nearest national institute of DEPwD or a district disability rehabilitation centre directly rather than waiting for a camp.

Which aids and appliances are covered?

ADIP covers mobility aids such as tricycles, folding and motorised wheelchairs, crutches, walking sticks and callipers; prosthetic and orthotic devices; hearing aids and cochlear implants; braille kits, braille slates, smart canes and daisy players for persons with visual disability; and communication and learning aids including special software and educational kits for children with intellectual disability. DEPwD published an updated list of approved aids and assistive devices in 2024.

Common reasons ADIP applications are rejected

• Disability below 40 percent on the certificate.
• Income above Rs 30,000 a month, or an income certificate that is expired or from a non-competent authority.
• Same aid already received within three years, detected at verification.
• Mismatch between Aadhaar, certificate and application details. A name or date of birth difference is a frequent cause.
• Absence from the assessment camp after being called, which closes the application.
• Requesting a device not on the approved list, or one not suitable for the assessed disability.

Help and grievance redressal

• National helpline for all disabilities: 14456, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
• Divya voicebot: 011-4473-9626; Divya chatbot on WhatsApp: 9646622622.
• ARJUN portal at adip.depwd.gov.in for application status and grievances.
• Cochlear implant queries: the empanelled hospital list is published at adipcochlearimplant.in.
• NGOs and implementing agencies apply for grants separately through grants.depwd.gov.in.

ADIP registration is free. No agent can charge you for adding your name to a camp list, and the aid itself is supplied free to beneficiaries earning up to Rs 22,500 a month.