Nihshaktajan Vivah Protsahan Yojana

What is Nihshaktajan Vivah Protsahan Yojana?

Nihshaktajan Vivah Protsahan Yojana; commonly written as the Chief Minister's Disabled Marriage Incentive Scheme, and in Hindi as "नि:शक्तजन विवाह प्रोत्साहन योजना"; is a Madhya Pradesh scheme run by the Social Justice and Empowerment Department through its Divyangjan Welfare wing. The scheme pays a lump-sum marriage incentive to a couple where at least one partner is a person with disability, and it has been running since 2006.

The scheme exists to answer a social problem rather than a purely financial one. Persons with disability in Madhya Pradesh often struggle to marry, and where a marriage does happen the household frequently starts with no capital at all. The incentive is meant both to make such a marriage financially viable and to make a non-disabled person's decision to marry a disabled partner socially easier. That is why the amount structure is the way it is.

Incentive amounts as listed on Madhya Pradesh district portals

The higher figure for a mixed couple looks counter-intuitive at first, but it is the design intent: the state is paying more to encourage a marriage between a disabled and a non-disabled person, which is the harder case. These figures are the ones published on the Bhopal division and district NIC scheme pages for the Chief Minister's Disabled Marriage Incentive Scheme; district offices are the authority to confirm the amount in force on the date of your marriage.

The incentive is paid as a lump sum by bank transfer, not in instalments and not as goods.

Who is eligible for Nihshaktajan Vivah Protsahan Yojana?

You can claim if:

• At least one partner is a person with disability with 40 per cent or more disability, certified by the competent medical board. A UDID card showing 40 per cent or more is accepted proof.
• Both partners, or at minimum the applicant, are residents of Madhya Pradesh and can produce a domicile certificate.
• The bride is 18 years or older and the groom is 21 years or older on the date of the marriage.
• The head of the family is not an income tax payer.
• The marriage is registered and a marriage certificate is available.
• The couple is willing to give an affidavit that they will live together as a married couple and will not separate.

You are not eligible if:

• Neither partner has a certified disability of 40 per cent or more. A medical opinion or a hospital letter is not enough; the certificate must come from the competent board.
• Either partner was below the legal minimum age on the wedding date.
• The head of the family pays income tax.
• Neither partner is a resident of Madhya Pradesh.
• The couple has already drawn this incentive once. It is a one-time benefit.
• The marriage is not registered, so there is no certificate to attach.

There is no caste restriction under this scheme. Persons with disability from every category — general, SC, ST and OBC: apply under the same rules, which distinguishes it from the department's caste-linked marriage assistance schemes.

What documents are required?

How to apply for Nihshaktajan Vivah Protsahan Yojana

1. Register the marriage first. Get the marriage registered with the registrar of marriages or the local body and collect the certificate. Nothing moves without it.
2. Get the disability certificate in order. If the certificate is older than the current UDID system or does not state a percentage, get it re-issued through the district medical board or the SPARSH registration route. It must clearly show 40 per cent or more.
3. Open a joint bank account in the names of both partners, and keep the passbook ready. The incentive is credited by bank transfer.
4. Apply online on SPARSH. Open the Madhya Pradesh Social Justice and Divyangjan Welfare portal at sparsh.mp.gov.in, go to the Nishakt Vivah section, fill in the details of both partners, and upload the disability certificate, marriage certificate, domicile certificate, age proof, joint photograph, affidavit and bank passbook.
5. Or apply offline by submitting the same application in the prescribed format, with attested copies of every document, to the Deputy Director or Joint Director, Social Justice, in your district.
6. Collect the acknowledgement with an application number, and keep it. This is what you quote in any status enquiry or grievance.
7. Attend verification if called. The district office may call the couple for a short verification, particularly to confirm that they are living together.

District portals state a time limit of 15 working days for disposal of the application.

How to check the status of your application

1. Log back into sparsh.mp.gov.in with your application number and check the application status page.
2. If you applied offline, visit or telephone the district Social Justice office with the acknowledgement number.
3. Once sanction is issued, the credit usually follows within a few weeks. If the sanction shows as issued but the money has not arrived, the problem is almost always a bank account detail, an IFSC error, a closed account or a name mismatch. Take the passbook to the district office to have the details corrected.
4. If the application crosses 15 working days without any movement, register a complaint on the CM Helpline, 181, quoting the application number.

Why applications get rejected, and how to fix them

• Disability below 40 per cent. A certificate showing 30 or 35 per cent will be rejected outright. Re-assessment by the medical board is the only route, and only if the condition genuinely warrants a higher percentage.
• Disability certificate not from the competent board. Certificates issued by a single private doctor are not accepted. Get a board certificate or a UDID card.
• Marriage not registered. A temple or community ceremony without registration does not qualify. Register the marriage, then re-apply.
• Age below the legal minimum. This is a hard bar and cannot be condoned.
• Income tax payer in the family. If the head of the family filed a return, the case will be closed. Declare the position honestly rather than have it found at verification.
• Bank details wrong. Wrong IFSC or an account not in the couple's names is the single most common reason a sanctioned amount does not arrive.
• Affidavit missing. The undertaking that the couple will not separate is a listed requirement and its absence sends the file back.

Key points to remember

Nihshaktajan Vivah Protsahan Yojana is claimed after the marriage, not before it, and the marriage certificate is therefore the first document to arrange rather than the last. The incentive is one-time and per couple. No fee is payable to anyone for filing the application, on SPARSH or at the district office, and no official will ask for a share of the sanctioned amount.

Where to get help

• Directorate of Social Justice and Divyangjan Welfare, Bhopal: 0755-2556916
• Email: dir.socialjustice@mp.gov.in
• SPARSH portal: sparsh.mp.gov.in, for online application and disability registration
• District office: Deputy Director or Joint Director, Social Justice, at the district headquarters
• CM Helpline: 181 for grievances and delays