Scheme for Relief and Rehabilitation of Women Acid Victims

What is the Scheme for Relief and Rehabilitation of Women Acid Victims?

Scheme for Relief and Rehabilitation of Women Acid Victims is Haryana's dedicated relief programme for women and girls who have been attacked with acid, run by the Women and Child Development Department. It does two things that matter in the first weeks after an attack: it puts cash in the victim's hands fast, and it takes the entire medical bill off the family.

According to the WCD Haryana page for the scheme, relief is paid in two tranches:

• Rs 25,000 immediately, released by the concerned District Collector.
• Rs 75,000 within 15 days, released by the Women and Child Development Department.

Together that is Rs 1 lakh of immediate relief, and the department states its purpose directly: to facilitate immediate medical expenses.

Alongside the cash, the scheme provides financial support for 100% medical treatment, "including medicine, food, bedding and plastic surgery/reconstructive surgery," at government or government-approved hospitals, with the amount reimbursed by the department.

That last clause is the substantive part of this scheme. An acid attack is not a single medical event. Reconstructive surgery runs across years and multiple procedures, and it is the recurring cost, not the first admission, that destroys a family financially. Covering it at 100% is what separates this scheme from a one-time compensation payment.

Since the scheme began, 18 women acid victims and 1 child have been covered.

Who is eligible for this scheme in Haryana?

You can claim relief if:

• You are a woman or girl who suffered an acid attack.
• The attack occurred on or after 2 May 2011. The departmental page states that "any victims facing acid attack after 02.05.2011 will be eligible."
• You are residing in Haryana and hold a Parivar Pehchan Patra.
• An FIR has been registered for the incident and a medical certificate exists from the treating hospital.

Victims still undergoing treatment are expressly covered. You do not have to wait until treatment ends to apply. The design assumes you will apply during treatment, because that is when the money is needed.

You are not eligible if:

• The attack occurred before 2 May 2011. That cut-off date is written into the scheme.
• The victim is not a resident of Haryana. Relief in other states runs through their own victim compensation schemes.
• The injury was not caused by acid. Other burn or assault injuries are handled under the general Victim Compensation Scheme rather than this one.

What is the relation to victim compensation under law?

This WCD scheme runs alongside, not instead of, the compensation route under the Haryana Victim Compensation Scheme administered through the Haryana State Legal Services Authority, and the Compensation Scheme for Women Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault and Other Crimes, 2018, which the WCD department also lists.

The practical point for a survivor: the Rs 1 lakh relief here is fast, and it is aimed at medical costs. Statutory victim compensation is a separate, usually larger and slower award decided by the Legal Services Authority. Apply for both. Applying for one does not close the other.

What documents are required?

The court order requirement is the one that trips applicants up, because criminal proceedings take years while the injury is immediate. Where no order exists yet, file with the FIR and medical certificate, attach whatever interim order is available, and put the position in writing to the District Programme Officer (WCD) so the file is not simply returned.

How to apply for acid victim relief in Haryana

1. Register on SARAL Haryana. Go to saralharyana.gov.in and create a new user account with your mobile number and email.
2. Log in and search for the service; "Scheme for Relief and Rehabilitation of Women Acid Victims" under the Women and Child Development Department.
3. Fill the application form, entering the Parivar Pehchan Patra number, personal details, incident details and bank account details.
4. Upload the documents: medical certificate, FIR copy, court order, Aadhaar and bank passbook.
5. Submit the form and save the acknowledgement number. SARAL issues a tracking ID for every application; you cannot follow up without it.
6. Approach the District Collector separately for the immediate Rs 25,000 ad-hoc component. That tranche is released by the Collector, not through the SARAL queue, and it is the fastest money available.
7. Track the application using "Track Application Status" on saralharyana.gov.in with your acknowledgement number.

If you cannot apply online, go to any SARAL Kendra or Antyodaya Kendra with the same documents and have the operator file it. A counter charge of about Rs 10 may apply; there is no scheme fee.

The notified processing time is 30 days.

How to check your application status

1. Open saralharyana.gov.in.
2. Select Track Application Status from the home page.
3. Choose the department as Women and Child Development and the service as the acid victims relief scheme.
4. Enter your acknowledgement number and submit.

If the status shows no movement past 30 days, take the acknowledgement number to the District Programme Officer (WCD) at the district headquarters. That office is the one processing the file.

Why applications get held up, and how to fix it

• Court order not available. The commonest obstacle. File anyway with the FIR and medical certificate, and record in writing that proceedings are pending.
• PPP mismatch. Name, address or family details differing between the Parivar Pehchan Patra and the application will stall verification. Correct the PPP record first.
• Bank account not Aadhaar-seeded. Relief is paid by DBT, so an unseeded account simply fails the credit.
• Medical certificate from a private hospital. The scheme funds treatment at government or government-approved hospitals. Get the certificate from an approved facility or have the treating record countersigned by one.
• Incident before 2 May 2011. Outside the scheme's scope; pursue the statutory Victim Compensation Scheme through the Legal Services Authority instead.

What other support should a survivor ask for?

Cash relief and free surgery are the two things this scheme guarantees. A survivor in Haryana should also ask for the following, each of which runs through a different office:

• One Stop Centre (Sakhi). Every district in Haryana has one. It provides temporary shelter, medical aid, police assistance, legal aid and counselling under a single roof. Reach it through Women Helpline 181.
• Statutory victim compensation from the Haryana State Legal Services Authority, applied for separately at vcs.hslsa.gov.in. This is a distinct award and does not reduce the WCD relief.
• Free legal aid from the District Legal Services Authority, which costs nothing and covers the criminal proceedings that the court-order document requirement depends on.
• Disability certification. Acid attack survivors are recognised as persons with disability under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. A certificate from the Civil Surgeon opens access to Haryana's disability pension, reservation in employment and other entitlements. This is frequently missed and is worth pursuing early.
• Continued treatment authorisation. Reconstructive surgery runs across years. Get the treating hospital to record the full planned course in writing so later procedures are reimbursed without a fresh fight each time.

The department has also notified a separate Compensation Scheme for Women Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault and Other Crimes, 2018, which covers a wider set of offences and is listed on the same WCD schemes-for-women page.

Where to get help

• SARAL Haryana helpline — 0172-3968400, or email saral.haryana@gov.in.
• Women Helpline 181: toll-free, round the clock. Also the fastest route to a One Stop Centre.
• District Programme Officer (Women and Child Development) at your district headquarters, the officer processing the relief file.
• Director, Women and Child Development Haryana to 0172-2560349, Bays 15-20, Sector 4, Panchkula 134112.
• Haryana State Legal Services Authority, for statutory victim compensation, which runs separately from this scheme.

No fee is payable to any agent for this scheme. The only charge that may legitimately appear is the small optional counter fee at a service centre.