Maharashtra

Facilities and concessions in Maharashtra

1. Concerned officer

The Dy. Dir.(E.R.H),
Directorate of Women, Child &
Handicapped Development,
Pune 411 001

2. Reservation

(a) In Government job: 3% reservation is available in Government job for physically disabled persons in Grade `C' and Grade `D' posts. The state government has decided that 1% vacancy of each for the Blind, the Deaf and for the Orthopaedically Handicapped in Class III and Class IV services of Government and comparable posts in the Public Sector Undertakings and local bodies to be filled in by Directorate of Recruitment in any office should be reserved for being filled in by these persons. O/I - Social Welfare, Cultural Affairs, Sports & Tourism Department.

(b) In educational institutions:

• 2% seats are reserved for disabled for extension programme like short term courses in the following:

Mental Retardation
Awareness Programme (Pertaining to all disabilities and rehabilitation)
Learning disability

• 1% seat is reserved for disabled for admission in Technical
  Institutions.

3. Age relaxation

The upper age limit is relaxed upto 45 years for disabled persons for applying in Government jobs.

4. Scholarship / Stipend

The State Government awards Rupees 30 per month as scholarship to those disabled students from Class I to Class VIII whose family income is less than Rupees 4,800 per month A certificate of atleast 40% disability required being eligible for the scholarship.

5. Maintenance allowance (through institutions / NGOs)

Disabled persons whose age is 55 years and above get maintenance allowance grant through NGOs @ Rupees 125 per month.

6. Unemployment allowance

Unemployed graduates are sent to work in Government Offices and given Rupees 100 for 15 days. They have to work for 4 hours per day.

7. Conveyance allowance

Government employees get 5% of the basic or Rupees 100 per month maximum as conveyance allowance for attending office.

8. Bus concession

State Road Transport is giving 75% concession in bus fares to blind, deaf and Orthopaedically Handicapped persons and 50% concession to their attendants.

9. Assistance for self-employment

The maximum assistance admissible under this scheme shall be Rupees 500 per beneficiary. In exceptional types of trades such as armature, winding, book binding, sheet metal work etc. for which the material of equipment required is much expensive. The ceiling of financial assistance may be raised upto a maximum of Rupees 1000 per beneficiary.

Financial assistance upto Rupees 1000 is given to the trained disabled person.
Officer - Director of Social Welfare, Maharashtra, Pune-1
A margin money scheme is implemented by State Government for starting self-employment by disabled persons. Project upto Rupees 25,000 are considered for financial assistance. Out of this 80% will be Bank Loan and 20% (Limited to Rupees 5,000) is the subsidy from the State Government

10. Awards / Sports / Seminars

State Government gives awards to disabled for the excellent work done by them to those who fail to get National Awards by Central Government

11. Exemption in professional tax / road tax

Physically disabled persons are totally exempted from paying professional tax from 1987-88. Physically disabled persons are also exempted from paying road tax.

12. Assistance for purchase of aids and appliances

Handicapped persons whose income is upto Rupees 1,500 per month are entitled to 100% grant on aids and appliances, for those whose income is between Rupees 1,501 to Rupees 2,000 are entitled 50% assistance. The maximum limit of assistance for aids and appliances is Rupees 3,000. Handicapped persons are also eligible for Rupees 150 as conveyance allowance and Rupees 10 for lodging and boarding per day upto a maximum of Rupees 100 for attending rehabilitation camps for aids and appliances.

13. Other concessions

• Relaxation in typing qualification: Relaxation in Typing qualification for appointment to clerical post mandatory for MPSC.
• Margin money: Margin money provided to the disabled upto the maximum cost of the project Rupees 25,000. Out of this, 80% is bank loan and 20% is subsidy being provided by the State Government i.e Rupees 5,000.
• Government Quarter: Disabled get preference in allotment of Government Quarter.
• Extra timing in exam: Deaf, dumb, blind and physically disabled students get extra 30 minutes time in the Secondary and Higher Secondary Examinations. The above categories students are provided a Writer if necessary at the time of examination whose arrangement is done by the board.
• Spastics students are given extra 2 hours to solve the questions. They have options to write or type. Writer facility is also allowed.
• Exemption from drawing figures/graphs : Blind, Spastics and physically handicapped students get exemption in drawing figures/graphs in examination.
• Facility extended by Bombay University: Handicapped students could avail of the correspondence course facility even for science through correspondence. Writers allowed in examinations and an extra time upto 3 hours is given in each paper.
• Merit award to disabled S.Sc. and H.Sc. students : Rupees 100 is granted to meritorious disabled students. 3 students covered every year.
• 10% reservation is made for disabled for employment in milk distribution centres.
  Handicapped persons get priority in the sanction of controlled shops.
• 3 Residential Schools for the Orthopaedically Handicapped are set up at Nagpur, Aurangabad and Miraj.
• Blind students studying in colleges are given tape recorder and a set of 10 educational cassettes for their use.