The Government of India is implementing a comprehensive range of welfare schemes for Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) across Assam and other North Eastern States through the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The details were shared by the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Ramdas Athawale, in a written reply to Shri Terash Gowalla in Rajya Sabha.

Under the Atal Vayo Abhyudaya Yojana (AVYAY), the Ministry continues to provide financial assistance for shelter, nutrition, healthcare and recreational facilities for indigent senior citizens through the Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens (IPSrC). During the last five financial years, Assam alone recorded over 1.03 lakh beneficiaries under IPSrC, while significant support was also extended to Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura and other North Eastern States through grant-in-aid assistance.

The State Action Plan for Senior Citizens (SAPSrC) has further strengthened State-led initiatives by supporting awareness generation, cataract surgeries and other welfare activities. During the last five years, cumulative assistance of over ₹48 crore has been released under SAPSrC across the country, benefiting North Eastern States through various State-specific interventions.

The Ministry is also implementing the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) to provide free assistive living devices to senior citizens belonging to BPL families or those with monthly income up to ₹15,000 and suffering from age-related disabilities. During the last five years, 73,572 senior citizens across the North Eastern Region received 3,57,242 assistive devices worth ₹63.67 crores under the scheme.

For the empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) is implementing several flagship schemes, including the Assistance to Persons with Disabilities for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP), Scholarship Scheme for Students with Disabilities, Scheme for Implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (SIPDA), National Action Plan for Skill Development of Divyangjan (NAP-SDP), Unique Disability ID (UDID) and Deendayal Divyangjan Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS).

Under the ADIP Scheme, Assam recorded 71,131 beneficiaries with utilisation of ₹ 6199.86 lakh, while the North Eastern Region as a whole benefitted 81,551 persons through the distribution of assistive aids and appliances.

The Ministry has also strengthened awareness and early intervention services for persons with disabilities. Under the Awareness Generation and Publicity (AGP) component of SIPDA, 26 awareness programmes were organised in the North Eastern Region between 2022-23 and 10 July 2026, supported by grant-in-aid exceeding ₹1.01 crore.

To promote inclusive education, scholarships have been provided to students with disabilities across all North Eastern States. During 2025–26, 545 students in Assam received scholarships amounting to ₹2.01 crore under various components of the Scholarship Scheme for Students with Disabilities.

Two Cross Disability Early Intervention Centres (CDEICs) are operational in the North Eastern Region—at CRC Guwahati (Assam) and CRC Imphal (Manipur). During the last five years, CRC Guwahati received ₹72,07,540, while CRC Imphal received ₹36,73,132 for providing early screening, therapeutic and rehabilitation services to children with disabilities.

In addition, the National Trust continues to implement Disha, Samarth and Niramaya Health Insurance Scheme across the North Eastern States. The region currently has six Disha Centres and one Samarth Centre in Assam. Under the Niramaya Scheme during 2025-26, beneficiaries included 331 in Assam, 493 in Manipur, 329 in Meghalaya, 301 in Tripura, 88 in Mizoram, 76 in Sikkim, 18 in Nagaland and 4 in Arunachal Pradesh.

Replying to the question on rehabilitation infrastructure, Shri Ramdas Athawale informed that Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) has established 11 Pradhan Mantri Divyasha-Vayoshri Kendras (PMDVKs) across the North Eastern Region. ALIMCO periodically assesses the requirement for opening additional centres and takes action based on emerging needs.

The Ministry remains committed to ensuring that senior citizens and persons with disabilities across the North Eastern Region receive accessible healthcare, rehabilitation, education, assistive devices, livelihood opportunities and social security through a robust network of welfare schemes, thereby advancing the Government's vision of inclusive and equitable development.

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