New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) A third-party evaluation of the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana has found the scheme to be highly “productive” and exceptionally “well-aligned” with the needs of the elderly from BPL or low-income groups, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
The study has had a transformative impact on the mobility and functional independence of beneficiaries, particularly in improving mobility through assistive devices.
In a written reply, Minister of State of Social Justice and Empowerment B L Verma said the evaluation of the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana(RVY) and the Deendayal Divyangjan Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRSS) was conducted to appraise their continuation during the 2026-31 financial cycle.
The evaluation of the DDRSS indicated that the scheme has delivered significant outcomes in education, rehabilitation assistive support and livelihood inclusion. It also noted improved livelihood linkages, strong community and parental engagement, and enhanced transparency and timelines through the e-anudaan digital platform, he said.
Replying to a question on whether the ministry has reviewed accessibility standards for public infrastructure and government buildings under the Accessible India Campaign, Verma said the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DePWD) has informed that works, lands and buildings vested in or in the possession of the State falls under the State list. He added that under sections 40 to 45 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, the appropriate government, as defined under Section 2(b) of the said Act, is statutorily mandated to take steps to ensure accessible built infrastructure, transport systems and information and communication technology (ICT) platforms for Divyangjans (persons with disabilities).
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017 provides the regulatory framework for sectoral implementation of the RPWD Act, 2016. Under Rule 15(1), sector-specific standards and regulations pertaining to accessibility have been prescribed and notified.
Pursuant to Rule 15(2), the respective ministries and departments of the Central government shall ensure compliance with the prescribed accessibility standards through the instrumentality of the concerned domain regulators or through such other measures as may be deemed appropriate, Verma stated.
The Central Public Works Department under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has completed accessibility upgrades in about 1,100 Central government buildings, as per feasibility. It has also issued directions to ensure that the provisions of universal accessibility be incorporated in all new buildings.
The Budget Estimates for the DePWD for the Financial Year 2025-26 stands at Rs 1,275 crore, which is 4.05 per cent higher than the budget estimates of Rs 1,225.27crore for 2024-25, Verma said.
The Budget Estimates for the Atal Vayo Abhuydaya Yojana (AVYAY) for 2025-26 are Rs 553.42 crore, 2.59 per cent higher than Rs 539.44 crore allocated in 2024-25. The additional funds are utilised to cover more beneficiaries and extend the outreach of the schemes.
The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment implements AVYAY for the welfare of senior citizens. An amount of Rs 824.23 crore has been released under the scheme over the last three years.
At present, financial support is being provided to 705 senior citizen homes, 13 continuous care homes, 17 mobile medicare units and 3 physiotherapy units to provide food, shelter, clothing and medical facilities to indigent senior citizens. Aids and assistive devices have also been distributed to 7.92 lakh eligible senior citizens under the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana.
More than 27 lakh calls have been received on Elderline, a national level helpline with toll free number 14,567, pertaining to the issues reported by the elderly, Verma said.
To bridge the demand and supply gap in the field of geriatric care givers, 35,480 trainees have been trained so far. The minister also informed that nine start-ups have been financially supported under the Seniorcare Ageing Growth Engine (SAGE) component of the AVYAY scheme to encourage development of innovative products and services for the senior citizens.
The DePWD has released an amount of Rs 384.52 crore under the DDRS scheme over the last three years, benefitting 1,00,836 people.
The DEPwD also implements the Scheme for Implementation of Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SIPDA) Act, 2016, across India. The scheme includes a component, titled the “Scheme for Creation of Barrier Free Environment”, under which financial assistance is provided to state and Union Territories on demand basis for the creation of a barrier-free environment in existing government buildings and establishments, upon receipt of compliant proposals, Verma said.
Under the SIPDA scheme, Cross-Disability Early Intervention Centres (CDEICs) have been established to provide early identification and multidisciplinary intervention services to children with disabilities in the 0-6 year age group. At present, 28 such centres are functional across national institutes, composite regional centres and regional centres supported by the department. Since the inception of the scheme, 19,69,791 beneficiaries have been covered.
These Centres provide coordinated services including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, psychological assessment, special education and parental counselling through a single-window service delivery framework.
Some of the implementation challenges under AVYAY scheme and CBFE Scheme include delayed and incomplete proposals, pendency of utilisation certificates, inadequate proposal submission and administrative and procedural challenges, Verma said.
Implementation of the schemes is regularly monitored through inspections, periodic reporting and review mechanisms and any operational issues arising during the implementation are addressed through continuous administrative and financial oversight, he added. PTI PLB AKY
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