The Scheme of State Award for Disabled

What is the Scheme of State Award for Disabled?

The Scheme of State Award for Disabled is an annual recognition given by the Government of Maharashtra to persons with disabilities who have done outstanding work, and to the employers who employ them. It is administered by the state's Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities; known in Marathi as the Divyang Kalyan Vibhag, which was carved out of the Social Justice and Special Assistance Department to handle disability welfare separately, and which publishes the scheme on divyangkalyan.maharashtra.gov.in.

According to that departmental page, every year the state government felicitates the best disabled employees, employers and placement agencies for outstanding work done in various fields. The scheme is not a monthly pension or a subsidy. It is a merit award, and the amounts attached to it are one-time cash prizes.

What the award consists of

• Category 1 to Best Employees: 12 awards, each of Rs 10,000 in cash, a citation and a certificate. The category covers persons who are visually handicapped, hearing impaired, orthopaedically handicapped, or who have an intellectual disability.
• Category 2 to Best Employer: 2 awards, each of Rs 25,000 in cash, a memento, a citation and a certificate. Employers from the government, public sector and private sector are all eligible.

That is 14 awards in a year and a total cash outlay of Rs 1,70,000 — a small scheme in money terms, whose value to a recipient lies chiefly in the citation and the state-level recognition it carries in a career.

Why the scheme exists

• To make visible the work of employees with disabilities, who are routinely under-recognised in ordinary workplace appraisal.
• To create a public incentive for employers to hire and retain persons with disabilities.
• To back the employment provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, with a positive, publicised reward rather than only a compliance obligation.

Who is eligible for the State Award for Disabled?

You can be considered in the employee category if:

• You hold a disability certificate showing at least 40% disability, issued by the competent medical authority. This is the department's stated threshold.
• You are domiciled in Maharashtra.
• Your disability falls in one of the categories the department names: visually handicapped, low vision, hearing impaired, orthopaedically handicapped or intellectual disability.
• You are in employment and can show outstanding work in your field, backed by a bio-data and supporting evidence.

An organisation can be considered in the employer category if:

• It is an employer in the government, public or private sector operating in Maharashtra.
• It can demonstrate outstanding work in employing persons with disabilities.

You are not eligible if:

• Your certified disability is below 40%. The certificate, not the self-description, is what decides this.
• You are not domiciled in Maharashtra. The award is a state award and the candidate must belong to the state.
• You cannot produce a disability certificate from the competent medical authority.
• You are applying for a cash grant or pension. This scheme is an award for demonstrated work, not an income-support benefit; readers looking for disability income support should look at Maharashtra's Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Anudan Yojana or Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension instead.

What documents are required for the State Award for Disabled?

The department's page states the requirement plainly: an application in the prescribed form, submitted along with the necessary documents and bio-data describing the candidate's achievements in the disability sector.

How to apply for the State Award for Disabled

The State Award for Disabled is an offline nomination. There is no online form on the department's portal.

1. Contact the District Social Welfare Office, Zilla Parishad, of your district and ask for the prescribed application form for the State Award for Disabled. In Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban, approach the Assistant Commissioner, Social Welfare Department instead of a Zilla Parishad office.
2. Ask about the current year's window. The award is annual, and the district office announces a cut-off date for receiving nominations each year. Because the department does not publish a fixed calendar date, this call is the only reliable way to know the deadline.
3. Prepare the bio-data, setting out concretely what you or your organisation has done. The nature of the work, the period, the results, and any recognition already received.
4. Attach the documents, disability certificate showing 40% or more, domicile proof, employment proof and any supporting evidence.
5. Submit the complete application to the District Social Welfare Office (or the Assistant Commissioner in Mumbai) and obtain a dated acknowledgement.
6. Follow up at the district office after the closing date. Nominations are scrutinised at district level and forwarded to the state for final selection.

How to check the status of a State Award nomination

Because the process is offline, status is tracked through the office where the nomination was filed:

1. Take your dated acknowledgement to the District Social Welfare Office and ask whether your nomination has been forwarded to the state selection stage.
2. In Mumbai, make the same enquiry with the Assistant Commissioner, Social Welfare Department.
3. Ask for the date on which the final list is expected. Selected candidates are informed by the department and invited to the felicitation.

Why nominations are rejected

• Disability below 40%, or a certificate not issued by the competent medical authority.
• No Maharashtra domicile.
• Nomination received after the district cut-off date for the year.
• Bio-data with no specific achievement. The award is competitive against 14 slots, so a general description of employment does not carry a file.
• Missing employer confirmation in the employee category.
• Wrong office. A Mumbai candidate filing at a Zilla Parishad office, or a district candidate filing directly with the state, loses time.

Where to raise a grievance or ask questions

• District Social Welfare Office, Zilla Parishad, of your district, the first point of contact for both nomination and follow-up.
• Assistant Commissioner, Social Welfare Department, for Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban.
• Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Government of Maharashtra, at divyangkalyan.maharashtra.gov.in and depwd.maharashtra.gov.in.

The award is free to apply for and carries cash to the winner. No payment should ever be made to any person or agent in connection with this nomination.