Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana
Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment of Government of India has launched Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana in the year 2017. Many senior citizens of India suffers from some sort of disabilities related to old age. The Government provides physical aids and assisted-living devices for such senior citizens belonging to BPL category under this scheme. In this article, we look at the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana scheme in detail.
Objectives of Rahtriya Vayoshri Yojana
Census figures of 2011 shown that the population of senior citizens in India is 10.38 crore. Further, more than 70% of the population of senior citizens are living in rural areas of our country and in that 52 percentages of the senior citizens suffers from old age-related disabilities. The Government of India has thus introduced this Central scheme to provide assisted living devices and physical aids for senior citizens suffering from infirmities or disabilities.
Duration
The proposal for implementation of Rahtriya Vayoshri Yojana scheme was announced in the 2015-2016 financial year budget. Pursuant to this, The Rahtriya Vayoshri Yojana scheme duration will be 3 years (2017 to 2020). The scheme has been implemented through the following agencies:
- Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO)
- PSUs under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Department
Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility criteria to avail the benefits of Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana are explained below.
- The age of the senior citizen should be 60 years.
- This scheme is only applicable to senior citizens who are below poverty line i.e., BPL card holder.
Disability or Infirmity
Senior citizens suffering from the below mentioned disability or infirmity will be provided with assisted-living devices which can restore near normalcy in their bodily function, overcoming the disability manifested.
- Low vision
- Hearing impairment
- Loss of teeth
- Locomotors disability
Aids and Assisted-Living Devices
Depending upon the physical impairment of senior citizens the below-mentioned aids and assisted-living devices will be provided to all eligible beneficiaries of Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana.
- Walking sticks
- Elbow crutches
- Walkers / Crutches
- Tripods / Quad pods
- Hearing aids
- Artificial dentures
- Spectacles
Beneficiary Selection
Beneficiaries in each district of India will be identified by the State Governments or Union Territories Administrations through a Committee chaired by the Deputy Commissioner or District Collector. 30% of the beneficiaries in each district will be women.
For identification of senior citizens belonging to BPL category, State Government, UT Administration or District Level Committee will collect data of BPL beneficiaries receiving Old Age Pension under the NSAP or any other Start Government Schemes.
Distribution of Devices
Aids and assisted-living devices will be distributed to all eligible senior citizens in camp mode and this distribution is for free of cost. In case of multiple disabilities or infirmities manifested in one person, the assistive devices will be given in respect of each disability.
District Covered under RVY
Almost all states and Union Territories major cities in India is covered under RVY scheme. List of districts where the scheme has implemented is given here.
| S. NO. | State / UT | DISTRICT |
| 1. | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | South Andaman, Middle & North Andaman |
| 2. | Andhra Pradesh | Vishakhapatnam |
| Nellore | ||
| 3. | Arunachal Pradesh | West Kameng |
| Pasinghat | ||
| 4. | Assam | Kamrup |
| Sonipur | ||
| 5. | Bihar | Buxar |
| West Champaran | ||
| 6. |
Chandigarh
|
Chandigarh |
| 7. | Chhattisgarh | Raipur |
| Bastar | ||
| 8. |
Dadra and Nagar Haveli
|
Dadra and Nagar Haveli |
| 9. |
Daman and Diu
|
Daman and Diu |
| 10. | Goa | North Goa |
| South Goa | ||
| 11. | Gujarat | Vadodara |
| Ahmadabad | ||
| 12. | Haryana | Karnal |
| Ambala | ||
| 13. | Himachal Pradesh | Shimla |
| Hamirpur | ||
| 14. | Jammu and Kashmir | Srinagar |
| Udhampur | ||
| 15. | Jharkhand | Gumla |
| Ranchi | ||
| 16. | Karnataka | South Bangalore |
| Dharwad | ||
| 17. | Kerala | Kochi |
| Thiruvananthapuram | ||
| 18. | Madhya Pradesh | Khandwa |
| Ujjain | ||
| 19. | Maharashtra | Nagpur |
| Dhule | ||
| 20. | Delhi | Karol Bagh |
| Chandni Chowk | ||
| 21. | Odisha | Sundargarh |
| Angul | ||
| 22. | Punjab | Gurdaspur |
| Hoshiarpur | ||
| 23. | Rajasthan | Jhalawar |
| Bikaner | ||
| 24. | Tamil Nadu | Kanyakumari |
| South Chennai | ||
| 25. | Telangana | Hyderabad |
| Karimnagar | ||
| 26. | Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow |
| Varanasi | ||
| 27. | Uttarakhand | Haridwar |
| Almora | ||
| 28. | West Bengal | Asansol |
| Darjeeling | ||
| 29. | Manipur |
Imphal (West) Imphal (East) |
| 30. | Meghalaya |
East Jaintia Hills Ri Bhoi |
| 31. | Mizoram |
Aizwal Champhai |
| 32. | Nagaland |
Dimapur Kohima |
| 33. | Tripura |
Unokoti Dhalai |
| 34. |
Lakshadweep
|
Lakshadweep |
| 35. | Puducherry |
Olukara Karaikal |
| 36. | Sikkim |
East Sikkim South Sikkim |
