Chief Minister's Disability Pension Scheme, 2012 — Meghalaya

What is the Chief Minister's Disability Pension Scheme, 2012?

The Chief Minister's Disability Pension Scheme, 2012 is a Meghalaya state social security scheme that pays a fixed monthly pension of Rs 500 to persons with disabilities living in the state. According to the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Meghalaya, the stated aim of the scheme is "to provide social security to Persons with Disabilities by giving them pension".

The scheme is implemented through the office of the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Meghalaya, Shillong, which is responsible for the overall implementation, while the day-to-day work of issuing forms, verifying claims and maintaining beneficiary lists sits with the Social Welfare Department's district machinery. The District Social Welfare Officer in each district and the Child Development Project Officer at project level.

The Chief Minister's Disability Pension Scheme is a cash transfer, not a service. Unlike the Social Welfare Department's disability scholarships, vocational training stipends or aids-and-appliances distribution, it does not depend on the beneficiary being a student or a trainee. A person with a disability certificate who is between 18 and 59 and lives in Meghalaya is the target beneficiary, regardless of what they do.

Key features

• Fixed rate of Rs 500 per month per beneficiary.
• Age band of 18 to 59 years, so it fills the working-age gap left by old-age pension schemes that begin at 60.
• Payment routed through a post office or bank account.
• Disbursement on a quarterly cycle, not monthly.
• A pension card is issued to each beneficiary and must be produced at every payment transaction.

Who is eligible for the Meghalaya disability pension?

You can get the pension if:

• You are a person with a disability and hold a disability certificate issued by a competent authority. This is the one document the scheme guidelines name explicitly.
• You are 18 years or above and below 60 years of age. The published age band is 18 to 59 years.
• You are residing in the State of Meghalaya, and you can give a correct and accurate residential address.
• You have a post office or bank account into which the quarterly pension can be credited.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• You are already drawing the unemployment allowance paid by the Social Welfare Department to persons with disabilities. The scheme guidelines state this exclusion plainly. A person receiving the unemployment allowance will not be eligible for the Chief Minister's Disability Pension Scheme.
• You are below 18 or aged 60 and above. Persons aged 60 and over should instead approach the Community and Rural Development Department for old-age pension under the National Social Assistance Programme.
• You do not hold a valid disability certificate from a competent authority. A doctor's prescription, a hospital discharge summary or a self-declaration will not substitute for the certificate.
• You are not resident in Meghalaya. Residence in the state is part of the eligibility test.
• The claim was made on false information. The guidelines allow the authorities to suspend payment where fraud or false information is discovered, and to recover the money as arrears.

Note that the scheme does not publish an income ceiling or a Below Poverty Line requirement. If a district office applies one locally, ask to be shown the instruction in writing.

What documents are required for the Chief Minister's Disability Pension Scheme?

If you do not yet hold a disability certificate, get one first. Meghalaya runs four Early Diagnostic and Intervention Centres at civil hospitals in Shillong, Jowai, Nongstoin and Tura, and certification is done by the competent medical board at district hospitals. The Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities also carries a link for online application for the Unique Disability ID (UDID) card.

How to apply for the Meghalaya Chief Minister's Disability Pension Scheme

The Chief Minister's Disability Pension Scheme, 2012 is an offline scheme. There is no self-registration portal, and no fee is charged for the form.

1. Obtain a disability certificate from the competent medical authority in your district if you do not already hold one. Nothing moves without it.
2. Collect the application form from the office of the District Social Welfare Officer, or from the Child Development Project Officer of the Social Welfare Department covering your area.
3. Fill the form completely, giving your correct and accurate residential address. The guidelines make the address a specific responsibility of the applicant, because pension delivery and verification depend on it.
4. Attach the supporting documents, disability certificate, age proof, residence proof, photographs, and your post office or bank account details.
5. Submit the form to the District Social Welfare Officer and ask for an acknowledgement or a diary number for follow-up.
6. Wait for verification and sanction. The district office verifies the certificate and the residence, and the case is processed for inclusion in the pension list maintained under the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.
7. Collect your pension card once sanctioned. The card must be produced at the time of every payment transaction, so keep it safe.

How do I check the status of my disability pension in Meghalaya?

There is no online status tracker published for this scheme. Follow up in this order:

1. Go back to the District Social Welfare Officer's office with your acknowledgement or diary number and ask where the file has reached.
2. If the file has been sanctioned but no money has arrived, check with your post office or bank branch; pension is released quarterly, so a gap of up to three months between sanction and the first credit is normal.
3. If the district office cannot resolve it, write to the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Temple Road, Lower Lachumiere, Shillong - 793001, which is the authority responsible for overall implementation of the scheme.

Why disability pension applications get rejected in Meghalaya

• No disability certificate, or a certificate from a non-competent authority. This is the most common and the most easily fixed reason.
• Age outside 18 to 59. Applicants who have crossed 60 must be routed to old-age pension instead.
• Already drawing the unemployment allowance from the Social Welfare Department, which is an express disqualification.
• Incorrect or unverifiable residential address. Field verification fails and the file is returned.
• Account details missing or wrong, so the quarterly credit cannot be made.
• Duplicate claim where the same person is already on a disability pension list under another scheme.

If your address changes after you are sanctioned, the guidelines require you to report the change to the concerned District Social Welfare Office and to the Commissioner. Failing to do this is a common reason pensions stop.

How does this scheme compare with the other disability benefits in Meghalaya?

The Chief Minister's Disability Pension Scheme sits alongside several other Meghalaya benefits for persons with disabilities, and it is worth knowing which one fits your situation:

• Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS) under the National Social Assistance Programme pays Rs 500 per month to BPL persons with disabilities aged 18 to 79. It is run by the Community and Rural Development Department, not the Social Welfare Department.
• Unemployment allowance for persons with disabilities is paid by the Social Welfare Department, and drawing it disqualifies you from the Chief Minister's Disability Pension Scheme.
• Scholarships and meritorious awards for disabled students cover nursery to post-graduate levels at monthly rates that vary by stage of education.
• Vocational training for self-employment carries a monthly stipend during training and a token relief grant of Rs 5,000 on completion to help start an income-generating activity.
• Aids and appliances — wheelchairs, crutches, white canes and hearing aids; are supplied free of cost under the ADIP scheme.

Help and grievance redressal

• Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Temple Road, Lower Lachumiere, Shillong - 793001, Meghalaya, the authority responsible for overall implementation.
• District Social Welfare Officer in your district. The first point of contact for forms, submission and follow-up.
• Child Development Project Officer of the Social Welfare Department for your project area, also authorised to issue the application form.

Applying for the Chief Minister's Disability Pension Scheme is free. No agent can charge you for "getting your name added" to the pension list, and pension obtained by giving false information is recoverable as arrears.