Samarth - Respite Care Scheme (The National Trust)

What is the Samarth - Respite Care Scheme?

Samarth is a respite and residential care scheme run by The National Trust, a statutory body under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. Samarth sets up Samarth Centres that provide group-home care for persons with disability, giving their families short-term respite and providing longer-term residential care for those who are orphaned, abandoned or destitute.

According to The National Trust, Samarth is a centre-based scheme for residential services, both short-term respite care and prolonged stay, for persons with the four disabilities defined under the National Trust Act, 1999. The scheme focuses on persons with disability from Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Low Income Group (LIG) families, so that a lack of family means does not leave them without care.

Key objectives

• Provide respite to families of persons with disability so they can attend to other responsibilities.
• Offer group-home residential care for orphans, abandoned and destitute persons with disability.
• Ensure quality care, including basic medical care, in a safe home-like setting.

Main features

• Centre-based scheme run through organisations registered with The National Trust.
• Covers autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability and multiple disabilities.
• Prioritises BPL and LIG families, single-parent families and families in crisis.
• The benefit is a care service in a group home, not a cash transfer to individuals.

Who is eligible for Samarth respite care?

A person with disability can be enrolled if:

• They have autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability (mental retardation) or multiple disabilities as defined under the National Trust Act, 1999.
• They belong to a Below Poverty Line or Low Income Group family. The National Trust defines Low Income Group as a household income up to the state's BPL limit plus an additional 50 percent of that limit.
• They are an orphan, abandoned or destitute person with these disabilities, a person from a single-parent family, or from a family facing a crisis needing respite.

Under the scheme norms, a new beneficiary who is not an adult (18 years or above) BPL person or an orphan is not funded by The National Trust for a recurring and non-recurring grant. BPL beneficiaries are given first priority for funded seats, and Low Income Group beneficiaries are taken in as places allow.

You cannot apply for a personal cash benefit under Samarth:

• Samarth is not a cash-transfer scheme: individuals and families are not eligible to receive a direct cash benefit. The support flows to registered organisations that run Samarth Centres, and families receive the care service.
• Organisations that are not registered with The National Trust, lack the required experience, or are blacklisted are not eligible to run a Samarth Centre.

For families, the practical route is to enrol the person with disability at a Samarth Centre run by a registered organisation, where they receive the residential or respite care service.

What documents are required for Samarth?

How to apply for Samarth care (families)

1. Identify a registered organisation running a Samarth Centre near you, The National Trust lists its registered organisations on thenationaltrust.gov.in.
2. Approach the Samarth Centre with the disability certificate, income proof and age proof of the person with disability.
3. Allow the centre to carry out an individual assessment of the person's needs by its therapists and counsellors.
4. Complete the enrolment formalities at the centre for short-term respite or longer residential care.
5. The registered organisation delivers the care service and draws the scheme grant from The National Trust, you do not receive a cash benefit directly.

How an organisation runs a Samarth Centre

1. Ensure the organisation is registered with The National Trust and has at least two years of experience working with persons with disability.
2. Arrange suitable premises that are owned or held on a long lease, meeting the scheme's group-home norms.
3. Apply to The National Trust in the prescribed format with the application fee to be empanelled as a Samarth Centre.
4. On approval, receive the setup and recurring grants and run the group home as per the scheme's care and staffing norms.

How much support does Samarth provide?

Samarth is delivered as a care service, funded through grants to registered organisations rather than cash to individuals. According to The National Trust's scheme norms, a registered organisation receives a one-time non-recurring setup grant of about Rs 2.9 lakh to establish a Samarth Centre, and a recurring grant of about Rs 5,000 per beneficiary per month to run the group home. The recurring grant is paid from the first month of operation for every eligible person with disability at the centre. The National Trust funds the centre for a month only if the number of enrolled persons with disability reaches at least 30 percent of the expected batch size, which prevents money going to near-empty centres.

The value to a family is the residential or respite care itself. A safe group home with trained caregivers and basic medical care — which allows family members time to meet their other responsibilities. The exact grant norms are set by The National Trust and revised from time to time, so organisations should confirm the current figures with The National Trust before applying.

How is a Samarth Centre organised?

A Samarth Centre is built around a batch size of 30 persons with disability, with the norms allowing up to about 39 residents to account for an overage margin. The centre must meet the scheme's staffing pattern so that residents get real care rather than mere custody. According to the scheme guidelines, each centre is expected to employ two special educators, one physiotherapist or occupational therapist, three caregivers, two ayas and one cook, with a physical trainer and speech therapist listed as desirable additions.

Because the disabilities covered, autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability and multiple disabilities, often need lifelong support, Samarth is designed to offer both short-term respite (a family leaves the person in safe care for a limited period) and prolonged residential stay for those who are orphaned, abandoned or destitute. The care package includes lodging, food, basic medical care from professional doctors, and day-to-day support suited to each resident's assessed needs.

What should a family check before enrolling?

• Whether the centre is a registered National Trust organisation. Only a registered organisation can run a genuine Samarth Centre and draw the scheme grant; enrolment elsewhere carries no protection.
• The person's category, BPL, orphan or LIG; because funded seats go first to adult BPL persons and orphans, and this decides whether the stay is grant-funded.
• The documents needed; disability certificate, income or BPL proof, and age proof, kept ready before approaching the centre.
• The care plan and visiting arrangements, so the family understands what respite or residential support the person will actually get.
• That no capitation or donation is demanded beyond the scheme's own norms, since Samarth care for eligible beneficiaries is funded by The National Trust.

Help and guidance

• National Disability Information Helpline (DEPwD): 14456 for information on disability schemes.
• 24x7 Autism Helpline: 1800-11-7776.
• The National Trust at thenationaltrust.gov.in lists registered organisations and Samarth Centres.

Note: This Samarth scheme for persons with disability is run by The National Trust and is different from the Samarth textile-skilling scheme of the Ministry of Textiles. Families seeking respite care should contact a registered National Trust organisation, and no fee is charged to be enrolled for the care service beyond the scheme's own norms.

How to check your application status

Samarth does not run a public online tracking portal where a family or an organisation can log in and see a live status, because the scheme works through registered organisations rather than individual online applications. Even so, there are concrete ways to follow up at each stage.

If you are a family seeking respite or residential care:

• Follow up directly with the Samarth Centre you approached. The centre's own staff, not The National Trust's head office, track where an individual case stands: whether the assessment is done, whether a funded seat is available, and when enrolment can begin.
• Ask the centre specifically whether your case has been recorded as a BPL, orphan, or Low Income Group entry, since this affects whether a seat is treated as funded or on a waiting list.
• If a centre is unresponsive or you suspect it is not actually registered with The National Trust, call the National Disability Information Helpline at 14456 or the 24x7 Autism Helpline at 1800-11-7776 to verify the centre's registration and get guidance on nearby alternatives.
• The National Trust's website, thenationaltrust.gov.in, lists registered organisations; cross-check the centre's name there if you have not already done so before enrolling.

If you are an organisation that has applied to run a Samarth Centre:

• Status on a setup application (registration, premises approval, empanelment) is communicated by The National Trust directly to the applicant organisation, typically by letter or official communication rather than a portal dashboard. Keep a record of your application reference and submission date to quote in follow-ups.
• For the recurring monthly grant, status tracking is really about occupancy: The National Trust releases funding for a month only once enrolled beneficiaries reach the minimum batch threshold, so an organisation should track its own enrolment numbers against that threshold rather than expect a separate "grant status" notice.
• For any delay beyond a reasonable processing period, write to or call The National Trust's office, or route the query through the National Disability Information Helpline (14456), quoting your application or registration reference.

Because Samarth has no beneficiary-facing tracking ID or SMS-based status system, the working approach for anyone waiting on a decision is to keep the paper trail of what was submitted and when, and to follow up by phone or in person rather than expect an automatic online update.

Common reasons for rejection

Samarth rejections happen at two different levels, an individual being denied a funded seat, and an organisation being denied empanelment to run a centre. The reasons differ accordingly.

Why a person with disability may not get a funded seat:

• Disability certificate does not match a covered condition. Samarth funds only autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability and multiple disabilities as defined under the National Trust Act, 1999. A certificate for a different disability, or a certificate that does not clearly state one of these four conditions, will not qualify. Fix: get the certificate reissued or clarified by the certifying medical authority to explicitly name the covered condition.
• Income proof does not establish BPL or LIG status. If the submitted income document does not show the household falling within the BPL limit or the LIG band (BPL limit plus 50 percent), the case will not be treated as fund-eligible. Fix: obtain the correct income or BPL certificate from the local revenue or municipal authority that reflects current household income accurately.
• Not an adult BPL person or an orphan, and no funded seat available under other categories. The scheme's norms prioritise adult (18 years or above) BPL persons and orphans for funded seats; a case that falls outside these priority categories may be waitlisted rather than rejected outright when funded seats are full. Fix: ask the centre whether a private-pay or partially subsidised placement is possible while a funded seat is pending, and check whether Low Income Group seats are available.
• Approaching a centre that is not registered with The National Trust. Some organisations run disability care homes without National Trust registration; enrolling there does not get scheme protection or a funded grant status, and any request tied to the scheme will be turned away. Fix: verify registration on thenationaltrust.gov.in or through the 14456 helpline before enrolling.
• Incomplete documentation at the time of assessment. Missing age proof or an expired disability certificate can stall or block enrolment. Fix: keep the disability certificate current and carry original documents, not just photocopies, to the assessment.

Why an organisation's application to run a Samarth Centre may be rejected:

• Fewer than two years of documented experience working with persons with disability. Fix: apply only after building and documenting the required track record, including past programme records and outcomes.
• Premises that are not owned or held on a long lease, or that do not meet the group-home space and safety norms for a batch of up to about 39 residents. Fix: secure appropriate premises with clear ownership or long-lease documentation before applying, and align the layout with the scheme's staffing and space norms.
• The organisation, or its office-bearers, being blacklisted by The National Trust or another government body. Fix: this is not something a fresh application can work around; any blacklisting issue needs to be resolved with the concerned authority first.
• Staffing plan on paper that does not match the required pattern (special educators, therapist, caregivers, ayas and cook) at the proposed batch size. Fix: finalise a realistic staffing plan matching the scheme's norms before submitting the application, rather than adjusting it after a rejection.
• Incomplete application or missing the prescribed fee at the time of submission. Fix: use The National Trust's current application format in full and confirm the fee amount directly with the Trust before submitting, since minor omissions are a common reason for applications being sent back.