State Level Awards for Divyang Persons

What is the State Level Awards for Divyang Persons scheme?

State Level Awards for Divyang Persons is a recognition scheme of the Social Welfare Department, Government of Uttarakhand that honours the achievements of persons with disability (divyang persons). Rather than a monthly benefit, the scheme is an annual award that celebrates individuals who have done outstanding work despite disability, and holds them up as an example to encourage others.

According to the Social Welfare Department, each awardee receives a cash prize of Rs 8,000, along with a medal and a certificate of appreciation. The cash prize is paid by cheque or bank draft at the award ceremony. The awards are presented every year on World Disability Day, 3 December, which makes the recognition both public and timely.

The scheme recognises excellence in three categories, the best disabled employee, an outstanding sportsperson, and the best self-employed service provider. Between them these categories cover salaried work, sport, and enterprise, so a person with disability who has excelled in any of these areas has a route to recognition.

The awards sit within the Uttarakhand government's wider push to honour and support persons with disability on World Disability Day. On 3 December, the state holds a felicitation function where awardees are recognised publicly; in the 2024 event, for example, the Chief Minister honoured 89 divyang individuals and announced free online civil-services (IAS) coaching for persons with disability, showing how the award ceremony is used to launch and spotlight further support. The Rs 8,000 cash award, medal and certificate are the core of this scheme, but the recognition also raises the visibility of what persons with disability in the state have achieved.

How is the award decided and presented?

Nominations move through two levels. The District Social Welfare Officer first verifies the disability certificate and the evidence of achievement submitted for the chosen category. Verified nominations are then placed before a state-level screening committee, which compares candidates within each category and makes the final selection. The chosen awardees are invited to the 3 December function, where the cash prize is handed over by cheque or bank draft along with the medal and certificate. Because only one award is given per category and a person cannot win twice in the same category, the selection is competitive and rests heavily on the strength of the documented achievement.

Who is eligible for the State Level Awards for Divyang Persons?

You can apply or be nominated if:

• You are a person with disability and a resident of Uttarakhand.
• You have verifiable records of your achievements or work.
• Your achievement fits one of the three categories, best disabled employee, outstanding sportsperson, or best self-employed service provider.

You cannot apply if:

• You do not hold a valid disability certificate.
• Your achievement cannot be evidenced with records.
• You have already won the award in the same category, a repeat award in the same category is not allowed.

Because the award is about demonstrated excellence, the strength of the supporting evidence, an employment record, sporting results, or proof of a successful self-run service, matters as much as the basic eligibility.

What does the award include?

• Cash prize of Rs 8,000, paid by cheque or bank draft at the ceremony.
• Medal recognising the achievement.
• Certificate of appreciation from the Social Welfare Department.

The award is presented annually on 3 December, World Disability Day, at a state-level function.

What documents are required?

The record of achievements is the heart of the nomination. Include documents that prove the claim: appointment and service records for an employee, competition results and certificates for a sportsperson, or registration and customer evidence for a self-employed service provider.

How to apply for the State Level Awards for Divyang Persons

The scheme runs offline and nominations are invited each year. Follow these steps:

1. Watch for the annual call: applications are invited through newspapers ahead of 3 December each year.
2. Fill in the application form for the category that matches your achievement.
3. Attach the documents: disability certificate, identity proof, photographs and a detailed record of your achievements with supporting evidence.
4. Submit the application to the District Social Welfare Officer's office.
5. Verification and selection — the district office verifies the claim, after which a state-level screening committee evaluates the nominations and makes the final selection for each category.

How do I check my nomination status?

Because the scheme is an annual, offline award, there is no online tracker. Follow up with the District Social Welfare Officer's office where you submitted the nomination, quoting your acknowledgement. The Social Welfare Department helpline 1800-180-4236 can also help you reach the right office. Final selections are announced around the 3 December ceremony.

Why do nominations get rejected, and how to strengthen them?

• Weak evidence of achievement, attach clear, verifiable records; a bare claim without proof is easily set aside.
• No valid disability certificate, include a current certificate from a competent authority.
• Wrong or unclear category, apply under the single category that best fits your work.
• Repeat in the same category. A person who has already won in that category is not considered again.
• Application submitted after the notified last date, nominations close ahead of the ceremony, so submit within the window given in the newspaper notice.

The single most useful thing an applicant can do is assemble a strong evidence file well before the annual notice appears. For the best disabled employee category, that means appointment letters, service records and any employer recognition; for the outstanding sportsperson category, competition results, medals and certificates; and for the best self-employed service provider, business registration, customer or client evidence and proof that the enterprise is genuinely run by the applicant. A nomination backed by clear, dated documents is far harder for the screening committee to set aside than one resting on a general claim.

What are the key dates to watch?

The scheme runs on an annual calendar built around 3 December, World Disability Day. The department invites nominations through newspaper notices several weeks earlier, district verification follows, and the state screening committee finalises the list shortly before the ceremony. There is no year-round window: if you miss the notice for one year, the practical step is to prepare your evidence; service records, competition results or business proof, so you can apply as soon as the next call appears. Watching the district Social Welfare Officer's notices and the department site socialwelfare.uk.gov.in is the reliable way to catch the announcement.

Where do I raise a grievance?

For any grievance about the process, approach the District Social Welfare Officer and then the Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of Uttarakhand. The department helpline 1800-180-4236 and the state CM helpline 1905 can record and route a complaint. The award carries no application fee; no payment should be made to any agent in connection with it.