Kaidi Sahay Yojana

What is Kaidi Sahay Yojana?

Kaidi Sahay Yojana is a small, narrowly targeted welfare scheme of the Directorate of Social Defence. The Samaj Suraksha arm of Gujarat's Social Justice and Empowerment Department. Its purpose is to stop a family from collapsing into destitution when the person who earned its income goes to prison for a long term.

The Directorate's scheme page states the benefit as a one-time grant of Rs 25,000 to the prisoner's family, to be used for buying an income-earning asset. The examples the Directorate gives are a milch animal, a sewing machine, or a handcart or similar vehicle. The design is deliberate: a sentence of five years or more means the family has to find a new livelihood, not just get through a bad month, so the state funds an asset rather than a monthly dole.

The scheme is listed on the Directorate's site under Economic Upliftment (Arthik Utkarsh), and is administered through the prison system and the district Social Defence machinery rather than through any online portal.

Who is eligible for Kaidi Sahay Yojana?

A family can receive the assistance if:

• The prisoner was the main or only earning member of the family before imprisonment.
• The prisoner has been sentenced to 5 years or more following criminal conviction.
• The family is below the poverty line.
• The family's annual income is within Rs 1,20,000 in rural areas or Rs 1,50,000 in urban areas, as recorded on the Directorate's scheme page.
• The family is resident in Gujarat and the prisoner is lodged in a prison in the state.

A family is not eligible and cannot apply if:

• The prisoner was not the main earner, for example, an adult child in prison while a working parent supports the household.
• The sentence is shorter than 5 years.
• The person is an undertrial who has not been convicted and sentenced. The scheme is written around a sentence, not around detention.
• The family's income exceeds the ceiling for its area, or the family is not on the poverty-line list.
• The family has already received the Rs 25,000. It is a one-time grant.
• The intended use is something other than a productive asset. The Directorate's condition is explicit that approved assistance must be used only for the purpose approved.

What documents are required for Kaidi Sahay Yojana?

The Directorate specifically notes that the application requires supporting documents from the Mamlatdar. In practice the income certificate and the "main earning member" certificate are the two that decide the case, and both come from the revenue side rather than from the prison.

How to apply for Kaidi Sahay Yojana

Kaidi Sahay Yojana has no online application. The case must start inside the prison, because only the prison can certify the sentence and the prisoner's conduct and record.

1. The prisoner submits an application to the prison Welfare Officer. This is the formal start of the case. The Welfare Officer records the details and attaches the prison record.
2. The family collects the revenue documents, the income certificate and the certificate that the prisoner was the main or only earning member, both from the Mamlatdar — along with the BPL or ration card, and the Aadhaar and bank passbook of the dependant who will receive the assistance.
3. The District Social Defence Officer verifies the case. This is the field check on income, dependants and the family's circumstances.
4. The prison committee recommends the case for assistance.
5. The Director of Social Defence approves the assistance.
6. The District Social Defence Officer disburses the money to the family, and the family buys the approved asset.

Families often ask whether they can shortcut step 1 by going straight to the district office. They cannot. The district office verifies a case; it does not originate one.

How to follow up on your case

There is no online status tracker for this scheme. To find out where a case stands:

1. Ask the prison Welfare Officer whether the application has been forwarded and on what date.
2. Ask the District Social Defence Officer for your district whether the verification has been completed and the case sent for recommendation.
3. If the case is stuck at head office, contact the Director, Social Defence, Block 16, Dr Jivraj Mehta Bhavan, Sector 10, Gandhinagar 382010, on +91 79 23256309.

Keep a copy of everything submitted, and note the date on which the Welfare Officer accepted the application. That date is the only reference number most families will have.

Why Kaidi Sahay Yojana cases are refused

• The prisoner was not the main earner. Most refusals turn on this single point, and the Mamlatdar's certificate is what settles it.
• Sentence shorter than 5 years, or the person is still an undertrial.
• Income above the ceiling, or no BPL status.
• Incomplete prison record, where the Welfare Officer's report has not been attached.
• Assistance sought for the wrong purpose; school fees, legal costs or debt repayment do not qualify, because the grant is tied to a productive asset.
• Bank or Aadhaar details of the dependant do not match, which stalls the payment even after approval.

A note on how the money must be used

The Directorate's terms attach a use condition to the grant: the approved assistance must be spent only on the purpose for which it was sanctioned. In practice that means the family should keep the purchase receipt for the animal, the sewing machine or the cart, and be ready to show it to the District Social Defence Officer. Diverting the money invites recovery.

Where to get help

• Director, Social Defence, Block 16, Dr Jivraj Mehta Bhavan, Sector 10, Gandhinagar 382010 to +91 79 23256309
• District Social Defence Officer in the district where the family lives, which supervises implementation and guidance for this scheme
• Prison Welfare Officer at the prison where the person is lodged, for the application itself

There is no fee at any stage. No agent can get a Kaidi Sahay case sanctioned, and the only route into the scheme is the prison Welfare Officer.