Free Coaching for PwDs

Introduction
The Free Coaching for Students with Disabilities scheme, initiated by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), is a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at providing financial assistance to voluntary organizations for offering free coaching to students with disabilities preparing for competitive examinations.

This scheme ensures equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities and improves their chances of securing jobs or admission into higher educational institutions.

Eligibility Criteria
i. The scheme is only for Indian nationals
ii. The scheme is open to students with benchmark disability i.e 40% or more disability as defined in Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and having a valid certificate of disability issued by the competent
authority as prescribed under rules.
iii. Aadhaar Number or Aadhaar enrolment number would be mandatory and aadhaar based biometric authentication of the candidates may also be done
iv. Unique Disability ID(UDID) or UDID enrolment number with disability certificate is mandatory.
v. Not more than two children with disabilities of the same parents will be entitled to receive benefits of the scheme. In case the second child is a twin, the benefits under the scheme will be admissible to the twin.
vi. Benefits under the scheme can be availed by a particular student not more than once, irrespective of the number of chances he/she may be entitled to take in a particular competitive examination and irrespective of the number of stages in the exam.
vii. Only students with benchmark disability, having total family income from all sources of Rs 8.00 lakh or less per annum will be eligible for benefits under the scheme.
viii. Income certificate: Income declaration of self-employed parents/guardian should be in the form of a certificate issued by a Revenue Officer not below the rank of Tehsildar/Naib Tehsildar.
ix. Employed parents/guardians are required to obtain income certificate from their employer and submit consolidated income certificate from Revenue Officer including any other additional source of income.
x. The candidate shall be precluded from availing benefits under any other coaching scheme of the centre or state government and will be required to provide a declaration to this effect.