NHFDC provides financial assistance in the form of loan to the target group for purchase of assistive devices like screen reader, motorized tricycle, scooty, hearing aid etc enhance their employability or improve the prospects of self employment.
Objective -
The main objective of the Scheme is to assist the needy disabled persons by providing concessional loan for procuring durable, reliable and scientifically manufactured, modern, standard aids and appliances that may enhance their prospects of taking up self employment/ employability. The aids and appliances purchased under the Scheme must be ISI marked or has equivalent certification of quality.
Types of Aids/Appliances to be Financed - Category-wise indicative list is given below
Eligibility -
- Any Indian Citizen with 40% or more disability
- Age between 18 to 60 years
- Should be either working in an organization of repute or have got confirmed appointment letter. The Head of organization should certify that purposed assistive device will improve his/her employability and the same is not made available by the organization. For self employment, the assessment of need of assistive device will be made by the authority (SCA/RRB etc.) scrutinizing the application and stall recommend the same.
Amount of Loan -
Loan up to Rs.5.00 lakh
(Loan amount shall be determined depending on the repaying capacity of the borrower within the repayment period.)
Rate of Interest -
Loan Amount - Upto Rs. 50,000/- To be paid by SCAs to NHFDC - 2% To be paid by beneficiaries to SCAs - 5%
Loan Amount -Above Rs. 50,000/- upto Rs. 5.0 lakh - To be paid by SCAs to NHFDC - 5% To be paid by beneficiaries to SCAs - 6%
Note: A rebate of 1% on interest is given to women beneficiaries under scheme.
Repayment of Loan -
The loan is to be repaid within 5 years
Procedure for Obtaining Loan -
Application in the prescribed format is to be submitted to the State Channelizing Agency on RRB or such agency as nominated by NHFDC for sanction of loan as per procedure laid down in the lending policy of National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation. Other terms and conditions of loan under the scheme shall be as per the lending policy of NHFDC for self employment
Rights of NHFDC
In case of any dispute, decision of the CMD, NHFDC will be final & binding.
Indicative List of Aids/Appliances to be provided -
The following is the indicative list of aids and appliances may be allowed for each type of disabled individual.
Locomotor Disabled -
i) All types of prosthetic and orthotic devices.
ii) Mobility aids like tricycles, wheelchairs, crutches walking sticks and walking
frames/rolators. Motorised tricycles for persons with locomotor disability .
ii) All types of surgical footwears and MCR chappals.
iii) All types of devices for ADL (activity of daily living)
iv) All types of disabled friendly Scooty, mopeds etc
Visually Disabled -
i) Learning equipments like arithmetic frames, abacus, geometry kits etc. Giant Braille dots system for slow-learning blind children. Dictaphone and other variable speed recording system. CD player/Tape recorder for blind student from X standard.
ii) Science learning equipments like talking balances, talking thermometers, measuring equipments like tape measures, micrometers etc.
iii) Braille writing equipments including Braillers, Dolphin Pen,Braille SightSavers Eyegaze Edge, Duxbury Braille Translator for Windows (DBT 10.7 SR1), shorthand machines, typewriters for blind students from X class. Talking calculators, Geography learning equipment like raised maps and globes.
iv) Communication equipments for the deaf-blind. Braille attachments for telephone for deaf-blind persons.
v) Low vision aids including hand-held stand, lighted and unlighted magnifiers, speech synthesizers or Braille attachments for computers.
vi) Special mobility aids for visually disabled people with muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy like adapted walkers.
Hearing Disabled -
i) Various types of hearing aids
ii) Educational kits like tape recorders / CD players etc.
iii) Assistive and alarming devices including devices for hearing of telephone, TV, doorbell, time alarm etc.
iv) Communication aids, like, portable speech synthesizer etc.
Mentally Disabled -
i) Any suitable device as advised by Rehabilitation Professional or treating physician.
Source: National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation Website