Prosthetic Aid and Appliances for Person with Disabilities

What is the Prosthetic Aid and Appliances scheme in Gujarat?

Prosthetic Aid and Appliances for Person with Disabilities is a state welfare scheme run by the Director of Social Defence under Gujarat's Social Justice and Empowerment Department. In Gujarati government records it appears as Divyang Sadhan Sahay Yojana (દિવ્યાંગ સાધન સહાય યોજના), and readers who search for it under that transliterated name are looking at the same programme.

Prosthetic Aid and Appliances exists for one purpose stated in the departmental guidelines: to supply an aid or appliance that reduces the practical effect of a disability, so that the person can move, hear, read or learn with more independence. The device is given free. The scheme does not pay cash to the beneficiary as a rule; the district administration procures the appliance and supplies it, and in some districts reimburses an approved purchase instead.

The scheme is administered from the office of the Director of Social Defence, Block 16, Dr Jivraj Mehta Bhavan, Sector 10, Gandhinagar 382010, and delivered on the ground by the District Social Defence Officer in each of Gujarat's districts. Applications are filed on the department's citizen portal, e-Samaj Kalyan, at esamajkalyan.gujarat.gov.in.

An important clarification, because readers get this wrong constantly: the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Gujarat does not run this scheme. That office states on its own website that it functions as a court under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act and undertakes no scheme activity. If you write to the Commissioner asking for a wheelchair, you will be redirected.

Which devices does the scheme provide?

The Director of Social Defence lists the following appliances under the scheme:

The device you receive is matched to the disability recorded on your certificate. A person certified with hearing impairment is sanctioned a hearing aid, not a tricycle, and the district office will not substitute one for another on request.

One device per person in three years is the governing limit. This is the single rule that causes the most rejections, because families often apply again after a device breaks. A replacement inside the three-year window is treated as a duplicate claim, not a fresh need.

Who is eligible for prosthetic aid in Gujarat?

You can get a device if:

• You are a resident of Gujarat.
• You hold a disability certificate showing 40 percent or more disability, issued by a government civil surgeon or an authorised medical board.
• The device you need appears on the departmental list above.
• You have not been sanctioned any device under this scheme in the last three years.

The scheme guidelines published by the Director of Social Defence do not prescribe an age limit or an income ceiling. Children, working adults and senior citizens with a valid certificate are all within scope.

You are not eligible and cannot apply if:

• Your certified disability is below 40 percent. This is a hard floor, not a guideline, and a 30 percent certificate is rejected at scrutiny.
• Your disability certificate was issued by a private doctor or private hospital rather than a government medical authority.
• You are not a resident of Gujarat. Residents of other states must apply under their own state scheme or under the central ADIP scheme.
• You already received a device under this scheme within the last three years.
• You are asking for a device that is not on the departmental list, for example a motorised wheelchair, a cochlear implant or a prosthetic limb of a type the district office does not stock. Those needs are routed to other schemes or to ALIMCO camps, not to this one.

What documents are required?

Scan every document as a clear PDF or JPG before you start. The e-Samaj Kalyan upload fields reject blurred scans and oversized files, and a half-finished application times out.

How to apply for prosthetic aid in Gujarat online

1. Open the e-Samaj Kalyan portal at esamajkalyan.gujarat.gov.in and choose Citizen Login. If you have never used the portal, select New User? Please Register Here and create an account with your name, district, mobile number and Aadhaar-linked details.
2. Log in with the user ID and password you created, then complete your citizen profile; address, district, taluka, caste category and bank details. The scheme list will not open until the profile is saved.
3. From the department list, select the Director of Social Defence (Samaj Suraksha) and then the Divyang Sadhan Sahay / assistive device scheme.
4. Fill the application form: disability type, disability percentage, certificate number and issuing authority, and the specific device you are requesting.
5. Upload the disability certificate, Aadhaar card, residence proof and photograph in the fields provided.
6. Submit the form and save or print the application number shown on the confirmation screen. You cannot track the case without it.
7. Wait for the District Social Defence Officer to verify the application. The office may call you for physical verification or for measurement, which is normal for calipers and hearing aids.
8. Collect the device when the office notifies you, usually at a district distribution camp, and sign the receipt register.

How to apply offline

1. Visit the office of the District Social Defence Officer in your district headquarters and ask for the assistive device application form.
2. Fill the form and attach self-attested copies of your disability certificate, Aadhaar card, residence proof and photograph.
3. Submit the file at the office counter and take a dated acknowledgement.
4. Attend the verification or measurement appointment if you are called, then collect the device at the distribution camp.

Many districts also run mobile assessment and distribution camps in talukas. If you cannot travel to the district headquarters, ask the taluka mamlatdar's office or your gram panchayat when the next camp is scheduled.

How do I check my application status?

Log in to esamajkalyan.gujarat.gov.in and open the application status or my applications section of your citizen dashboard. The status moves through submission, district verification, sanction and distribution. If it sits at verification for more than a few weeks, contact the District Social Defence Officer with your application number rather than filing a second application. A duplicate application will be rejected and slows down the original.

Why applications get rejected, and how to fix each one

• Disability below 40 percent, the certificate does not meet the threshold. There is no fix except a fresh assessment if your condition has been reassessed by the medical board.
• Certificate from a private hospital: get the assessment redone at the district civil hospital and reapply with the government certificate.
• Name mismatch between Aadhaar and the disability certificate, correct the Aadhaar record or get the certificate reissued with the matching spelling, then reapply.
• Device already sanctioned within three years — wait out the balance of the three-year period. Keep the earlier receipt so the office can date it.
• Illegible uploads, rescan and resubmit. This is the most common administrative rejection and the easiest to avoid.
• Requested device not on the list; reapply for a listed device, or ask the district office to refer you to an ALIMCO camp or the central ADIP scheme.

Key dates and timing

Prosthetic Aid and Appliances has no annual last date; the e-Samaj Kalyan portal accepts applications through the year. Sanction, however, depends on the district's budget allocation for the financial year, which runs 1 April to 31 March. Applying early in the financial year gives a better chance of sanction within the same year, because districts exhaust their device allocation as the year progresses. Distribution is usually clustered into camps, so there is often a gap of some weeks between sanction and handover.

Where do I complain if something goes wrong?

• Director of Social Defence, Gandhinagar: Block 16, Dr Jivraj Mehta Bhavan, Sector 10, Gandhinagar 382010, phone +91 79 23256309. This is the escalation point when a district office does not act.
• District Social Defence Officer, the first stop for a stalled or rejected application in your own district.
• e-Samaj Kalyan grievance link on esamajkalyan.gujarat.gov.in for written complaints tied to your application number.
• Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Gujarat, Wing D-1, Block 2, Karmayogi Bhavan, Sector 10, Gandhinagar, phone +91 79 23256749, this office hears complaints of discrimination or denial of rights under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act. It does not sanction devices, but it can hear a complaint that you were wrongly denied one.

Applying is free at every stage. No official will ask for money or for your portal OTP, and no middleman can put your name on a distribution list.