Pension to the Disabled Persons, Chandigarh

What is the Chandigarh disability pension?

Pension to the Disabled Persons is a monthly pension run by the Department of Social Welfare, Women and Child Development, Chandigarh Administration. According to the department, "Disability pension to disabled person is granted to Physically Handicapped person" who is disabled to the extent of 40 percent, is a resident of the Union Territory of Chandigarh, and meets the income criterion.

Pension to the Disabled Persons is the one Chandigarh social security pension that is not a flat rate. The department pays two different amounts depending on the certified percentage of disability:

• Rs 1,000 per month for persons having 40 percent to 70 percent disability.
• Rs 2,000 per month for persons having more than 70 percent disability.

That distinction makes the disability certificate the most consequential document in the whole application. A certificate reading 70 percent and one reading 75 percent lead to pensions that differ by Rs 12,000 a year.

Chandigarh is a Union Territory administered directly by the Chandigarh Administration, so this is a UT scheme. The administering office is at the Additional Town Hall Building, 3rd Floor, Sector 17-C, Chandigarh 160017.

Who is eligible for the Chandigarh disability pension?

The Department of Social Welfare publishes three conditions, and all three must be met together.

You can get the pension if:

• Your disability is certified at 40 percent or above.
• You have been a resident of UT Chandigarh for more than 3 years.
• Your family income does not exceed Rs 1.50 lakh per annum.

You are not eligible if:

• Your certified disability is below 40 percent. The department's threshold is explicit and there is no discretion below it.
• Your family income crosses Rs 1.50 lakh a year. The criterion is worded as family income, so a household with other earning members can fail this test even where the applicant personally has no income.
• You have been resident in Chandigarh for 3 years or less, or cannot document three years of residence.
• You live outside the Union Territory. Residents of Mohali, Kharar, Zirakpur or Panchkula must apply under the Punjab or Haryana scheme instead, even if they receive treatment in Chandigarh hospitals.
• You hold no valid disability certificate. A hospital discharge summary or a doctor's letter is not a substitute; the certificate must come from the competent certifying medical authority and state a percentage.

The department publishes no age limit for this pension, and no caste or gender restriction.

What documents are required for the Chandigarh disability pension?

The department asks for self-attested photocopies of the following.

Before you file, check what percentage your certificate actually states. Many applicants hold a certificate issued years ago for a progressive condition. If your condition has worsened, ask the certifying medical authority for a reassessment before applying, so that you enter the correct slab from the start rather than trying to have a sanctioned pension revised upwards later.

If you do not hold an income or residence certificate, both are separate e-District Chandigarh services available through the same Citizen Login. Income Certificate went live on 7 August 2015 and Residence/Domicile Certificate on 21 August 2015.

How to apply for the Chandigarh disability pension online

1. Open the e-District Chandigarh portal at chdservices.gov.in, or use the Apply button on the department's Pension To The Disabled Persons page.
2. Choose Citizen Login for Income/Residence Certificate/Social Welfare Services, registering with your mobile number if you are a new user.
3. Select the service Sanction of Pension for Disabled from the social welfare services list.
4. Fill in the form with your name, Chandigarh address, certified disability percentage, family income and bank account number with IFSC.
5. Upload the self-attested documents, taking particular care that the disability certificate scan is fully legible, since the percentage on it determines your pension slab.
6. Submit and note the application number shown on screen.
7. Track the case through Application Status on chdservices.gov.in.

How to apply for the Chandigarh disability pension offline

1. Download the Form for Disabled Pension from chdsw.gov.in. The department publishes it in English and Hindi as a PDF of about 298 KB.
2. Fill the form and attach self-attested photocopies of the disability certificate, Aadhaar, three-year residence proof, income proof and bank passbook, plus two passport-size photographs.
3. Submit the file at the Department of Social Welfare, Women and Child Development, Additional Town Hall Building, 3rd Floor, Sector 17-C, Chandigarh 160017.
4. Ask for an acknowledgement or diary number and keep it for follow-up.

How much is paid and how does the money arrive?

Pension to the Disabled Persons pays either Rs 1,000 or Rs 2,000 a month depending on the certified percentage, which is Rs 12,000 or Rs 24,000 across a full year. The department describes the amounts as "The pension payable to each person shall be @Rs.1000/- p.m. to those persons having 40% to 70% of disability" and "Rs.2000/- p.m. to those persons having more than 70% of disability".

Note the exact boundary. A certificate at 70 percent falls in the lower slab, because the higher slab is worded as more than 70 percent. The department's own incentive lines describe the two bands as 40 to 70 percent and 71 to 100 percent.

Payment goes into the beneficiary's own bank account, so the account name and IFSC on the form must be correct. The pension is recurring and continues while the beneficiary remains resident in Chandigarh and within the income limit. The department maintains a Life Certificate section on chdsw.gov.in that pensioners are expected to keep current.

Why do Chandigarh disability pension applications get rejected?

• Disability certified below 40 percent, or a certificate that does not state a percentage at all.
• Certificate issued by a non-competent authority. A private hospital letter or a specialist's opinion will not be accepted in place of a certificate from the designated certifying medical authority.
• Residence proof short of three years. A recent utility bill demonstrates present residence, not the three-year history the department requires.
• Family income above Rs 1.50 lakh a year, often because only the applicant's own nil income was declared.
• Wrong slab claimed. Applying for Rs 2,000 on a certificate reading 65 percent leads to sanction at the lower rate at best, and a query at worst.
• Bank account not in the applicant's own name, or a mistyped IFSC.
• Illegible scans of the disability certificate, which is the document the sanctioning officer must read most carefully.

What else does Chandigarh offer persons with disabilities?

The same department runs a cluster of related benefits, and applicants for this pension frequently qualify for more than one:

• Unemployment Allowance to Disabled Persons. A separate application form is published on chdsw.gov.in.
• Assistance for Purchase of Aids and Appliances.
• Petrol Subsidy to Persons with Disability.
• Issuing of Identity Cards to Disabled Persons.
• National Programme for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (NPRPD).
• UT Chandigarh Funds for Persons with Disability, which has its own form on the department's site.

The Unique ID for Persons with Disabilities (UDID) portal is linked directly from chdsw.gov.in, and holding a UDID card makes the percentage on your record easy for any of these schemes to verify.

What are the key dates for this scheme?

Pension to the Disabled Persons has no fixed application window and no last date. Applications are received and processed through the year.

The relevant date is 28 May 2017, when the e-District portal launched "Sanction of Pension for Disabled" along with the old age and widow pension services.

How do I raise a grievance or get help?

• Department of Social Welfare, Women and Child Development, Chandigarh, phone 0172-2700372, email dirswd-chd@nic.in
• Office address — Additional Town Hall Building, 3rd Floor, Sector 17-C, Chandigarh 160017
• Lodge Your Grievances, a grievance link is carried on the department site, and chdservices.gov.in has a Feedback section for e-District complaints

There is no fee at the department for this pension application, and no agent is authorised to charge for getting a disability pension sanctioned in Chandigarh.