Financial Assistance Under the National Fund for Persons with Disabilities

What is the National Fund for Persons with Disabilities?

The National Fund for Persons with Disabilities is a statutory fund created under Section 86 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. According to the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), the Government constituted the fund by an office order dated 10 January 2018, and it has functioned as a trust under the Indian Trust Act since April 2018. It absorbed the older National Fund for People with Disabilities (1983) and the Trust Fund for Empowerment of PwDs (2006).

The fund's corpus is held in fixed deposits and bonds, and only the interest earned is used for grants. The 2024 guidelines, approved by the Governing Body, fund eight components that empower persons with disabilities in areas not already covered by the Government's regular budgetary schemes.

What are the components and amounts?

According to the 2024 guidelines, the fund supports the following:

• Exhibitions and workshops of products, paintings and handicrafts made by persons with disabilities. Registered organisations get up to Rs 20 lakh (national), Rs 15 lakh (regional) and Rs 10 lakh (State level), capped at 50% of the proposed budget.
• Sports and arts participation by persons with benchmark disabilities who reached State level, to compete at national and international events. Support covers travel plus Rs 2,500 per day (national) or Rs 4,000 per day (international) for boarding and lodging, for the participant and one escort.
• High-support-needs equipment, customised mobility equipment to improve activities of daily living, limited to the actual cost or Rs 1 lakh, whichever is less. Devices available with ALIMCO must be procured from ALIMCO.
• Research paper presentation abroad by disabled faculty and scholars, return economy airfare plus Rs 4,000 per day for the researcher and one escort. Available only once per person.
• Financial assistance to States/UTs for inclusivity events on the lines of Purple Fest to 50% of cost up to Rs 3 crore (national) or Rs 5 crore (international).
• STEM labs in schools for blind, deaf and intellectually disabled children, a one-time grant up to Rs 5 lakh or 75% of cost, for up to 100 schools a year.
• Disability sports travel for athletes, coaches and escorts at events of the Centre for Disability Sports.
• STEM tuition reimbursement — Rs 1.5 lakh or actual, whichever is less, per student per year, for 100% blind and 100% deaf (without cochlear implant) students in Class 9 to 12 pursuing STEM subjects, for up to 1,000 students a year, subject to a family income limit of Rs 8 lakh.

Who is eligible for the National Fund for Persons with Disabilities?

Individuals can apply if:

• You are a person with a benchmark disability (40% or more) who stood in the top three at State level in sports, or was graded outstanding or promising in the arts, in the last three years.
• You have high support needs as recommended by the State/UT Assessment Board and need customised mobility equipment (a UDID card is mandatory here).
• You are a disabled faculty member or independent scholar with an accepted research paper to present at an international conference.
• You are a 100% blind or 100% deaf (without cochlear implant) student in Class 9 to 12 studying STEM subjects, with family income up to Rs 8 lakh and not already drawing another scholarship for the same purpose.

Organisations and governments can apply if: they are registered societies, companies or trusts (at least three years old, with relevant experience) for the exhibitions component, or are State/UT governments for inclusivity events.

You cannot apply if:

• You do not hold a UDID card or UDID enrolment number with a disability certificate, this is mandatory for all applicants.
• You have already received assistance for the same purpose from another source in the same financial year (a self-declaration is required).
• You are seeking a general disability pension or maintenance allowance. The National Fund is not eligible to be used for that; those come under other schemes such as the disability pension under NSAP.
• For the tuition component, your family income exceeds Rs 8 lakh, or you are already availing another scholarship for the same course.

How to apply for the National Fund for Persons with Disabilities

1. Confirm your UDID status. A UDID card number, or a UDID enrolment number along with a disability certificate, is mandatory for every application. For high-support-needs equipment, the UDID card itself is compulsory.
2. Open the online application link on the DEPwD website, depwd.gov.in, under the National Fund section, and select the component you qualify for.
3. Fill the form and upload documents, disability certificate/UDID, achievement or participation proof, income certificate (for tuition), bank account details, and a self-declaration that you have not taken assistance for the same purpose elsewhere.
4. For STEM tuition reimbursement, apply instead through a National Institute or Composite Regional Centre under DEPwD, using the prescribed format with mark sheets, income certificate and school bona fide certificate.
5. Submit and track. The Governing Body of the fund is the approving authority; for reimbursement-based components, submit bills and the utilisation certificate within 15 days of the event or purchase.

Help and contact

• National Helpline for Persons with Disabilities: 14456
• Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities: depwd.gov.in
• Grants portal: grants.depwd.gov.in

All applications and grants are handled by DEPwD. No agent can sanction a grant from the National Fund, and applying is free.