A. INTRODUCTION
In a large country like India, many districts have difficult terrains, tribal areas or areas which are not easily accessible. In such remote areas, facilities offered through Central/ State Govt. or private sector/ NGOs often do not reach easily. In many such districts such facilities may even be non-existent for want of effective delivery mechanism. Many districts in the country still do not have any organization working for the welfare of persons with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation or multiple disabilities. As such a Remote Area Funding Scheme was conceived to cover these remote districts for providing services to persons with such disabilities by providing financial incentives to set up new organizations registered with the National Trust. This approach, however, suffered from various constraints such as lack of adequate financial resources to expand the coverage to have any reasonable impact or to provide services after setting up new organizations. Besides, it was also apprehended that new organizations may not voluntarily come forward for registration in the hope of getting fund under the Scheme for such registration. Hence the Scheme guidelines and funding norms were revisited and the Scheme is now revised as detailed below.
B. OBJECTIVE :
1. To stimulate activities and services for the welfare of persons with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities in remote areas and
2. To set up effective delivery mechanism on a sustainable basis for such activities and services in remote areas.
C. SCHEME & ITS COVERAGE :
Under the Scheme, 20% additional grant will be provided as financial incentive over and above the usual grant as applicable to various schemes of the National Trust. For the purpose of this Scheme, remote areas will be mapped and prioritized, from time to time, depending on various factors like geographical remoteness or inaccessibility, absence of any organization registered with the National Trust, lack of infrastructure or services for persons with disabilities, lack of awareness about disability issues etc.
D. ELIGIBILITY :
1. Only new applications under such schemes of the National Trust will be eligible which are not specially excluded by the National Trust from financial incentive under Remote Area Funding Scheme. Applications under SNAC, SNAP, Niramaya and Samarth will not be eligible for such financial incentive.
2. Applicant should be eligible for usual grant under such scheme of the National Trust for which he has applied.
3. Implementation of such scheme should be either in remote areas or by beneficiaries belonging to remote areas.
4. On-going scheme holders/beneficiaries under any scheme of the National Trust will not be eligible for such financial incentive under that scheme but can be eligible for such incentive under other schemes. For example, existing Samarth holder or Gyan Prabha beneficiary from remote areas will not get additional 20% grant under Samarth/ Gyan Prabha but can be eligible for such incentive under Aspiration/ Uddyam Prabha.
E. PROCEDURE FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL/ APPLICATION
Applications should be submitted in the same format and manner as applicable to the concerned schemes of the National Trust. However the request for Remote Area Funding also should be prominently indicated on top of the application.
F. PROCESSING OF APPLICATIONS & RELEASE OF GRANT :
All applications will be processed in the same manner as applicable to the concerned schemes of the National Trust. Similarly, financial incentive will be released along with the usual grant in the same manner and proportion/ installments as applicable to the concerned schemes of the National Trust.
G. PROGRESS REPORT & UTILIZATION CERTIFICATE
Progress report and utilization certificate should be submitted in the same manner and formats as applicable to the concerned scheme of the National Trust. But such report/ certificate should be submitted separately for Remote Area Funding and usual grant. For example, vocational training centre in non-remote area should report about beneficiaries from remote area, if any, under usual grant and also separately under Remote Area Funding. Similarly it should submit separate utilization certificate for usual grant and financial incentive under Remote Area Funding.
Read & Download list of identified districts under Remote Area Funding Scheme