UDID, ADIP, ALIMCO, NDFDC, DDRCs — the names are confusing and the guidance is scattered. Here's what each one actually does, and where to start.
All the schemes below sit under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act), which recognises 21 disability categories — including locomotor disability, which covers spinal cord injury — and is implemented by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. Most benefit schemes require a disability level of roughly 40% or more, certified by a government medical board.
A national digital ID and database for persons with disabilities, replacing older, inconsistent state-level disability certificates with one standardised system. Administered by DEPwD.
Apply: swavlambancard.gov.in — register, complete the form, upload documents (photo, ID/address proof, existing certificates if any), then a Medical Board assesses and assigns a disability percentage before the certificate and card are issued. In practice, district offices and registration camps also take applications, digitised centrally. One secondary source cites roughly nine days for certificate generation — treat this as indicative only, not a guarantee; processing time varies by state and medical board workload.
Source: DEPwD — UDID; official portal.
Covers wheelchairs (including motorised wheelchairs for higher-level impairment), mobility aids, spinal braces, and other daily-living devices directly relevant to spinal cord injury.
| Household monthly income | Assistance level |
|---|---|
| Up to ~₹22,500 | Full cost assistance |
| ~₹22,501–₹30,000 | 50% assistance |
These figures were revised in September 2024 and are stated as valid through March 2026 in the official scheme document — verify the current version before relying on them. An older, lower set of thresholds (₹15,000 / ₹20,000) still circulates on some secondary sites; use the official PDF, not those.
Apply: directly online via the ARJUN portal, or through a DDRC, registered NGO, or ADIP camp. Devices are supplied through ALIMCO, National Institutes, Composite Regional Centres, DDRCs, and state disability corporations.
Source: DEPwD — ADIP; official scheme document (PDF).
A government-owned manufacturer whose product range goes well beyond artificial limbs — it includes wheelchairs, tri-wheelers, crutches, spinal braces, and cervical collars, all directly relevant to spinal cord injury, not only amputation. Most families access ALIMCO products through the ADIP scheme (above) rather than direct retail purchase.
Source: DEPwD — ALIMCO.
The National Divyangjan Finance and Development Corporation — still often called by its older name, NHFDC — offers concessional-interest loans for self-employment and income-generating activity (schemes include the Divyangjan Swavalamban Yojana and the smaller Vishesh Microfinance Yojana), plus education and skill-development loans. It is a finance/loan body, not a direct-benefit or device scheme — whether its loans can specifically fund assistive-device purchase separately from ADIP is not clearly confirmed, so ask NDFDC directly if that's your goal.
Apply: through State Channelising Agencies, public sector banks, regional rural banks, or microfinance institution partners — not a single central desk.
Source: NDFDC official site; DEPwD — NDFDC.
Provide assessment, physiotherapy/occupational/speech therapy referrals, assistive-device distribution support, help obtaining UDID cards, and vocational training — often the most practical first point of contact after a certificate/UDID is sorted.
No single official public directory of every district's DDRC was found during research for this page — contact your district Social Justice/Welfare office or DEPwD directly, and confirm the centre is currently active and staffed rather than assuming one exists nearby, since coverage is not universal across all districts.
Source: DEPwD — DDRC scheme documents.
The Financial Assistance to Spinal Injuries Centers (ASIC) Scheme is the most directly relevant program here: DEPwD funds dedicated spinal injury treatment and rehabilitation centres, including the Indian Spinal Injury Centre (New Delhi) and the State Spinal Injury Centre at SMS Medical College, Jaipur, with further centres under development (Sagar, Madhya Pradesh; Ajmer, Rajasthan). Worth asking your treating team about specifically.
Source: DEPwD — ASIC Scheme.
Separate from the disability schemes above: anyone 70 or older can get ₹5 lakh a year in government hospital cover through the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card, an extension of Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY approved by the Union Cabinet on 11 September 2024 and rolled out from 29 October 2024 — available regardless of income. If the household already holds a PM-JAY family card, the senior's ₹5 lakh is an individual top-up on top of (not shared with) the family's existing cover; if not, it's issued on a family basis like standard PM-JAY.
Relevant here where the person injured, or another household member helping fund their care, is 70 or older — ongoing hospitalisation and rehabilitation costs add up.
Apply: beneficiary.nha.gov.in or the Ayushman app, using Aadhaar-based e-KYC — also available through empanelled hospitals and Common Service Centres.
Before you apply: seniors already on CGHS, ECHS, or Ayushman CAPF must choose one scheme or the other — reportedly not reversible once switched, so confirm with NHA before giving up an existing scheme. Private insurance and ESIC holders can hold both without conflict. As of December 2025, official figures show roughly 97 lakh Vay Vandana cards issued against an estimated 6 crore eligible seniors — a real enrolment gap, so don't assume a hospital or Common Service Centre will already have this set up; ask. Some states have also had payment disputes with private hospitals in the wider PM-JAY network, which can affect cashless access even with a valid card — confirm live PM-JAY acceptance with the hospital directly. Delhi separately offers a state top-up to ₹10 lakh for its 70+ residents (from April 2025) — check whether your state has a similar top-up.
Source: PIB — Cabinet approval, 11 Sept 2024; PIB — enrolment update, Feb 2026.
✓ Scheme names, thresholds, and cost figures on this page were last checked in September 2026 — always confirm current details on the official portal before relying on them.