Issue of Free Bus Pass to Differently Abled Person

What is the free bus pass scheme for differently abled persons in Puducherry?

The Issue of Free Bus Pass to Differently Abled Person scheme is run by the Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of Puducherry. According to the Directorate's departmental manual, the scheme has been implemented since 1994, and under it "free bus passes to all the differently abled persons are issued in order to facilitate their mobility / transport in buses run by the Government and Non Governmental organizations".

The benefit is straightforward: free travel within the region of Puducherry on the covered bus services. There is no cash payment and no reimbursement. The pass itself is the benefit.

The scheme is one of a set of about twenty measures the Directorate runs for differently abled persons in the union territory. Its neighbours include the monthly financial assistance for differently abled persons, the fuel subsidy for those who own motorised vehicles, the supply of prosthetic appliances and motorised tricycles, marriage incentives, the annual tour, the issue of disability identity cards, and the transport allowance. The bus pass is the most widely used of them, because it needs no asset, no vehicle and no purchase.

Who is eligible for the free bus pass, and who is not?

You can get a pass if:

• Your disability is 40 per cent or above, certified by the competent medical authority.
• Your annual income does not exceed Rs 75,000, certified by the Revenue Department.
• You have resided in the union territory of Puducherry for not less than five years.
• Any age. The Directorate records no age restriction for this scheme.

You cannot get a pass if:

• Your certified disability is below 40 per cent. The threshold is fixed and applies to every disability category.
• Your certified annual income is above Rs 75,000.
• You have lived in the union territory for less than five years. Visitors, students on short courses and recent arrivals are not eligible.
• You do not hold a disability certificate from the competent authority. A doctor's letter or a hospital discharge summary is not a substitute.

Two related points are worth knowing. First, the Directorate issues identity cards to differently abled persons as a separate service; holding one does not by itself give a bus pass, but it makes verification quicker. Second, a person who takes the transport allowance. A cash allowance the Directorate pays "in lieu of the free Bus passes being issued"; takes it instead of the pass, not in addition to it. Choose the one that suits your situation.

What exactly does the pass cover?

The pass covers travel within the region of Puducherry on buses run by the government and by non-governmental organisations covered by the scheme. The union territory has four separated regions — Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam, and the scheme as described operates within the region concerned.

The pass does not cover inter-state long-distance travel, private tourist coaches outside the scheme, rail travel, or auto and taxi fares. For rail concessions a differently abled traveller uses the Indian Railways concession system separately, on the strength of the disability certificate.

The pass is issued for a period and then renewed. Keep the disability certificate, income certificate and residence certificate current, because renewal is checked against the same conditions as the original grant.

How to apply for the free bus pass in Puducherry

There are two routes, and both end at the Directorate of Social Welfare.

1. Get your disability certificate first. Obtain it from the competent medical authority, showing 40 per cent or more disability. Nothing else in the process can begin without it.
2. Obtain the income and residence certificates from the Revenue Department. The income certificate must show an annual income not exceeding Rs 75,000, and the residence certificate must cover not less than five years.
3. Choose your application route. Either apply online on the e-District portal at edistrict.py.gov.in, registering with your mobile number and selecting the Social Welfare service for the issue of a bus pass to differently abled persons; or download the form from the "Differently Abled Persons - Download Forms" section of socwelfare.py.gov.in and fill it in on paper.
4. Upload or attach the documents: disability certificate, income certificate, residence certificate, Aadhaar and passport photographs. Scans must be legible; a blurred disability certificate is the commonest reason an online application is sent back.
5. Submit. Online applicants should note the application reference number the portal issues. Paper applicants should submit at the Directorate of Social Welfare, Puducherry, or at the departmental office of their region, and take a dated acknowledgement.
6. Collect the pass when the Directorate intimates that it is ready, carrying the original certificates for verification and spare photographs.

How do you check the status of an application?

• Online applicants should log back into edistrict.py.gov.in with the same credentials and track the application against the reference number issued at submission. The portal shows the stage the file has reached.
• Paper applicants should follow up at the Directorate of Social Welfare quoting the inward number and date.
• For either route, the Directorate of Social Welfare can be reached at +91-413-2205871 or at socwel[at]py[dot]gov[dot]in.
• Renewals follow the same track. Start a renewal before the existing pass expires rather than after, since travel is not free in the gap.

Why do applications get rejected, and how do you fix them?

• Disability below 40 per cent. Not curable unless the condition itself is reassessed by the medical board and a revised certificate is issued.
• Income certificate above Rs 75,000. Have the Revenue Department correct the certificate if it overstates household income, then reapply.
• Residence short of five years. Add a nativity certificate, ration card, voter roll entry and utility bills covering the full period.
• Expired disability certificate. Certificates issued for a fixed period must be renewed by the medical authority before the bus pass application will move.
• Illegible uploads. Rescan at higher quality. On e-District this is the most frequent cause of a returned application.
• Name mismatches across documents. The name on the disability certificate, Aadhaar and income certificate should match. Correct the odd one out first.
• Applying for both the pass and the transport allowance. The allowance is paid in lieu of the pass. Applying for both stalls the file; pick one.

What other help does the Directorate give differently abled persons?

According to the Directorate's list of differently abled schemes, the union territory also runs monthly financial assistance, free rice, supply of sarees and dhoties, prosthetic appliances, motorised invalid carriages, a fuel subsidy for vehicle owners with orthopaedic disability of 40 per cent and above, marriage incentives, an annual tour, radios for blind persons, disability identity cards, scholarships for differently abled students, and the Perunthalaivar Karma Veerar Kamaraj funeral expenses assistance. Homes and special schools for differently abled persons operate in all three main regions.

Where do you complain?

• Contact the Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of Puducherry, on +91-413-2205871 or at socwel[at]py[dot]gov[dot]in, quoting your application or reference number.
• For an e-District application, raise the grievance through the portal against the same reference number so that it is tagged to the file.
• An unresolved grievance can be escalated on CPGRAMS at pgportal.gov.in against the Government of Puducherry, Directorate of Social Welfare.

The pass is free, the form is free, and no middleman is needed. Report any demand for payment to the Directorate.