Schemes for Poor

All Governments have a major responsibility towards uplifting the status of the downtrodden sections of the society by eradication of poverty. The Government for meeting this objective initiates a number of schemes, which are implemented by the concerned departments.

Such schemes-details, how to avail the benefit, who can avail the benefit, whom to contact-are being listed in this section.

Right now, the people for whom these schemes are meant may not be literate enough to access this information on Internet. However, it is presumed that the well-off section of the society may read the information and identify people who can avail of the various benefits under these schemes or make such people aware of the Schemes. You will find the people, who need to be covered under the Schemes, in plenty around you.

PLEASE BE THE GOOD SMARITAN & Help the Needy.

For more details/ suggestions, write to the concerned departments or to the webmaster.

Food & Supplies Department

Antodaya Ann Yojna: The Govt. of India has launched another scheme titled as ‘ANTODAYA ANNA YOJNA’ throughout the country for the poorest of the poor families. Under the scheme 25 Kgs. of food grains per family per month is to be given which has been decided to be provided in the ratio of 15 Kgs. of Rice and 10 Kgs. of Wheat per family 8 per month. These food grains are to be provided at a highly subsidized rates of Rs. 2.00 per Kg. for Wheat and Rs. 3.00 per Kg. for Rice. The Govt. of India has allocated 78,700 families to the Govt. of Himachal Pradesh. The identification of beneficiaries is to be carried out by the Rural / Urban Development Department. This Scheme has started w.e.f. 6.3.2001 from Chamba in Himachal Pradesh. Please write at group3@hp.nic.in for more details.

Rural Development Department 

Pradhanmanti Rozgar Yojna
Pradhanmanti Sadak Yojna

For more details please write to dirrd@hotmail.com

Social & Women Welfare Department

Disability Certificates to the Disabled: In all countries of the world, people with disabilities are the largest minority group. As a group they are starved of services and facilities available to the non-disabled and, consequently, are the least nourished, the least healthy, the least educated, the least employed. They are subjected to a long history of neglect, isolation, segregation, poverty, deprivation, charity and even pity.
The plight of the disabled in India is not dramatically different. The immense responsibility for the care of the disabled is generally left to their families and a few institutions managed by voluntary organizations and government.

The non-disabled friends and visionaries, policymakers and professionals have wholeheartedly supported this courageous and collective struggle, fought by people with diverse disabilities representing an assortment of causes. The struggle has helped the disabled get the ‘Persons with Disabilities (Equal opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Bill, 1995 passed in India. The Indian Act is a comprehensive and far-reaching legislation with promise of liberating mankind of its prejudices and of removing barriers that have crippled the disabled for centuries.

India true to its notion of welfare state has started giving various facilities and concessions to the disabled having disability percentage upto 40%. The identification of persons with various disabilities like Blindness, low vision, Hearing impaired, Locomotors Disability, Mental Illness, Mental Retardation and Leprosy Cured has been given to respective states and the respective then State Government through Welfare Department issue Disability Certificates to the disabled.

In Himachal Pradesh the issue of Disability Certificate has been taken up since 1986 and certificates have been issued manually to the disabled persons so as to  
            ·     Avail travel concessions,
            ·     Reservations and  
            ·     Other benefits under various schemes of the Government.

The NIC has developed software also for issuance of Disability Certificates. In all around 30,000 disabled persons are likely to benefit from this scheme of computerisation where in all the disabled whether they have the old certificates or the disabled who have not got the certificate yet can avail this facility by providing a meager fees to the district welfare office. The District Welfare Officers issue the certificate after getting it laminated.

Therefore, if you are a disabled person of know someone who has permanent disability of any degree, please get in touch with the District Welfare Officer of the concerned district for issuance of the Disability Certificate. For more information write at group2@hp.nic.in

Welfare Pensions: Government in India has taken-up many schemes for the upliftment of the poorer section of the society and these efforts of the Government of India are supplemented by the efforts of various State Governments. Himachal Pradesh State in not an exception to this. It has taken-up the job of providing the subsistence amount to old aged who have no body to look after or are dependent, orphans, handicapped, destitute women, widow women etc. in the form of a monthly pension which is disbursed after every quarter in four quarters in a year.

Since the number of pensioners in all the categories in HP is around 1,57,000 the disbursement of the Pension to these people becomes gigantic task and sometimes this manual system is unable to bear up the burden. In order to lighten the work of preparation and disbursement of pensions, updating of ledgers, updating the record of dead/non-traced persons etc., the State Government has taken up the exercise of computerizing the Disbursement of Pensions with the help and guidance of National Informatics Centre. 

Following types of pensions are being disbursed by the Department of Social & Women Welfare through the District Welfare Offices:  

·         Old Age  
·         Widow  
·         Lepers  
·         Handicapped  
·         Destitute Women  
·         National Old Age Pension System

For more information on how to apply, who can apply, forms to fill up etc., write at group2@hp.nic.in