Rights · disability
Divyang corner: what do I get?
Answer four questions and get one personal list of benefits and rights under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, central schemes and your state’s schemes, each with the official link.
Last updated: Reviewed by IndiaDigital editorsSources
Mujhe kya milega? Four questions
Your list: 9 things to claim
UDID card: one card for every benefit
Apply free on the Swavlamban card portal. A medical board assesses you and the card shows your disability and percentage. It is accepted across India, so you do not carry certificates everywhere.
Exam help: scribe and extra time
In written exams you can get a scribe or reader and compensatory time of at least 20 minutes for every hour, under the DEPwD guidelines of 10 August 2022. Ask the exam body in the form itself; carry your certificate or UDID.
Scholarships for students with disabilities
Pre-matric (Class 9 and 10), post-matric (Class 11 to post-graduation) and top class scholarships for students with 40% or more disability, applied on the National Scholarship Portal. Income limits apply.
5% seats in higher education
Government and government-aided colleges and universities reserve at least 5% of seats for benchmark disabilities and relax the upper age limit by 5 years (section 32).
4% reservation in government jobs
Government establishments reserve at least 4% of posts for benchmark disabilities (section 34). Your type falls in group (c). Central government jobs also give an upper age relaxation; check each notification.
Income tax deduction
In the old tax regime you can deduct ₹75,000 a year, or ₹1,25,000 for 80% or more disability, under section 154 of the Income-tax Act, 2025. A family member who looks after a dependant with disability has a separate deduction.
Railway ticket concession
The Railways give a fare concession (often with one escort) to some groups: people with locomotor disability or paraplegia who cannot travel alone, intellectual disability, total blindness, and people who are both deaf and unable to speak. Get the Railway photo ID card online and book with its number.
Free or low-cost aids and appliances (ADIP)
Tricycles, wheelchairs, hearing aids, smart canes, artificial limbs and more, free or at half cost depending on family income, through camps and ALIMCO. Ask the district disability rehabilitation centre.
Accessible voting
Get marked as a person with disability on the voter list (Form 8). You then get help at the booth, such as a ramp, wheelchair and priority, and home voting where the Election Commission allows it for your disability level.
Get your UDID card, step by step
- Open the Swavlamban card portal and choose "Apply for Disability Certificate and UDID Card".
- Fill personal details, disability type and address. Upload a recent photo, signature or thumb, address proof and an existing certificate if you have one.
- Note the enrolment number. The district medical authority (often the CMO) gives you a date for assessment by a medical board.
- After assessment the certificate and UDID card are issued with your percentage. Track it with the enrolment number. The card is posted to you; an e-card can be downloaded.
- Not happy with the percentage? You can appeal to the appellate medical authority named in your state’s rules.
Your rights under the RPwD Act, 2016
- Equality and no discrimination because of disability (section 3).
- Schools and colleges must admit you without discrimination and make reasonable changes, like extra time and a scribe in exams (sections 16 and 17).
- No employer in government may discriminate against you; you cannot be dismissed or demoted because you acquired a disability during service (section 20).
- Government schemes must pay persons with disabilities at least 25% more than others under similar schemes (section 24).
- Public buildings, transport and websites must become accessible (sections 40 to 46).
- Insulting, assaulting or denying food to a person with disability is a punishable offence (section 92).
- Complaints go to the State Commissioner or the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, free of cost.
Exams: scribe and extra time
- Ask for a scribe or reader, and compensatory time, in the exam application form itself.
- Compensatory time is at least 20 minutes for every hour of the exam (DEPwD guidelines, 10 August 2022).
- You may bring your own scribe or ask the exam body for one; the rules on the scribe’s qualification are in the guidelines and the exam notice.
- Below 40%: still eligible if a doctor certifies that your condition limits writing.
Indian Sign Language
The ISLRTC, under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, keeps the official Indian Sign Language dictionary and runs courses. We link to it and do not copy it.
How it works
- Your answers never leave this phone. The list is worked out in the browser.
- Benchmark disability means 40% or more, as certified by a medical authority. Many benefits need it; some do not.
- Central benefits link to the Act or the ministry page. State benefits come from our scheme finder, which shows the amount and official source for each scheme.
- This is an explanation of rules, not legal advice. Check the current amount on the official page before you apply.
Questions people ask
I do not have a certificate yet. Where do I start?
Apply for the UDID card on the Swavlamban card portal. The medical board assessment gives you both the certificate and the card.
My percentage is below 40%. Do I get anything?
You still have the RPwD Act’s rights against discrimination, and you can get a scribe and extra time in exams if a doctor certifies that your condition limits writing. Some state schemes also start below 40%.
Who do I complain to if my rights are denied?
The State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, or the Chief Commissioner (ccdisabilities.nic.in). Complaints are free.
Where can I learn Indian Sign Language?
The Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) runs a free online dictionary and courses. We link to it rather than copying it.
Sources
Last checked:
- Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (India Code)
- DEPwD: notifications, including guidelines for written exams (10 August 2022)
- UDID / Swavlamban card portal
- National Social Assistance Programme (IGNDPS)
- DEPwD: ADIP scheme
- National Scholarship Portal
- Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities
- Income-tax Act, 2025, section 154 (Gazette of India, 21 August 2025)
- ISLRTC: Indian Sign Language dictionary
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