Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY)

Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana was launched in April 2017 to address a quiet but pervasive form of exclusion. As people age, common impairments in mobility, hearing, vision and dental function start to compound. For a family above the poverty line, the cost of a basic hearing aid or a reliable walker is manageable. For a family at or below the poverty line, these costs are deferred indefinitely, and the elder withdraws from social and economic life as a result.

RVY supplies these devices free of cost through district assessment camps. The supply chain runs through the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. ALIMCO has a long history of providing aids and appliances to persons with disabilities. RVY extends that capacity to elderly beneficiaries.

The impact of a single hearing aid is far larger than the device cost suggests. A grandparent who can hear conversations at the dinner table stays engaged with the family, with neighbours and with community life. The same elder unable to hear becomes socially isolated, and research shows social isolation in old age is correlated with faster cognitive decline.

The standard device list covers six broad categories. For mobility, the scheme provides walking sticks, elbow crutches, tripods, quadrapods, walkers and wheelchairs. For hearing, behind the ear and in the ear hearing aids are supplied with batteries. For vision, spectacles are provided after refraction. For dental function, full or partial dentures are made by an empaneled dentist.

Each beneficiary can receive up to three different devices in a single distribution cycle. So a 72 year old with arthritic knees, age related hearing loss and presbyopia can receive a walker, a hearing aid and spectacles together.

Devices are standard, not custom. Wheelchairs are folding manual chairs suitable for indoor and limited outdoor use. Hearing aids are entry level analogue or digital models. Dentures are full set acrylic. For beneficiaries needing higher specification devices, the family can choose to top up out of pocket through a private vendor instead.

RVY is implemented camp by camp at the district level. The Ministry approves an annual calendar, ALIMCO coordinates with the district social welfare officer, and a pre identification survey is done by the social welfare staff and panchayat. The survey lists eligible elders and their likely device needs.

On the camp date, identified elders attend with their documents. A team of doctors, audiologists, optometrists and dental technicians assess each elder. The exact device, size and specification are recorded. ALIMCO procures or manufactures the device and distributes it at a follow up distribution camp typically three to six weeks later.

If the device delivered is the wrong size or unsuitable, the beneficiary can return it at the next ALIMCO service touchpoint. Replacement is free during the warranty period. The district social welfare office maintains the camp roster and can connect beneficiaries to the nearest service centre.

Watch for camp announcements in the local panchayat office, district hospital and social welfare office. Camps are not held every year in every district, so missing the announcement can mean a wait of one to two years.

Get a basic medical assessment done before the camp. An audiogram from the district hospital, a refraction from the eye OPD and a dental check are useful inputs. They speed up the camp assessment and ensure the device specification matches the actual impairment.

Bring all documents on the camp day. Aadhaar, BPL card and a passport size photograph are the bare minimum. If the elder cannot travel, the family member should attend with a notarised authorisation and the elder's Aadhaar for the identification record.

Keep the warranty card and ALIMCO service number safe. Most hearing aid issues in the first year are battery related and resolved at the service centre at no cost. After the warranty expires, replacement batteries are inexpensive but the device itself is replaced only at the next eligibility cycle.

• 01Indian citizen aged 60 years or above
• 02Belonging to a BPL family or receiving a social pension equivalent to BPL status
• 03Suffering from at least one age related disability for which a listed device is appropriate
• 04Not have received the same device from any government scheme in the previous three years
• 05Willing to attend the district assessment camp for evaluation and fitting

• §Aadhaar card showing age 60 or above
• §BPL ration card or proof of receiving social pension
• §Recent passport size photograph
• §Medical certificate where required, especially for hearing aids and dentures
• §Address proof for delivery and follow up service

• Age below 60 at the time of camp assessment
• Above poverty line status without proof of social pension
• Same device already received from another government scheme within three years
• Failure to appear at the assessment camp despite identification
• Medical condition that requires a more advanced clinical intervention than the standard ALIMCO device can provide

• Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana scheme overview, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowermentlink ↗
• ALIMCO RVY implementation guidelines, Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of Indialink ↗