There are no social protection mechanisms that are solely dedicated to persons with dementia, but there are recognised schemes for persons with disabilities and senior citizens.

The implementation of the Right of Persons with Disabilities Act (2016) is carried out largely through schemes run by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DPED), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE). Two of the major schemes that influence the lives of persons with disabilities living in rural areas are summarised in Table 1 (Gupta, Witte and Meershoek, 2021). However, the implementation of these schemes has been found to be low in rural areas (Gupta, Witte and Meershoek, 2021).

Table 1. Overview of Few Major Disability Schemes

Disability Schemes	Description
Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP)	Makes assistive devices including those needed to meet activities of daily living for low income families (Gupta,Witte and Meershoek, 2021).
District Disability Rehabilitation Centres (DDRCs)	Establishment of centres that provide comprehensive rehabilitation services (Gupta,Witte and Meershoek, 2021).

Source: (Gupta, Witte and Meershoek, 2021).

Furthermore, the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) under the Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme provides pension to persons aged 18 and above with a disability level of 80% an amount of Rs 300 per month (Vikaspedia, n.d.-c; Ministry of Rural Development, 2014). Persons above the age of 80 receive Rs 500 per month (Vikaspedia, n.d.-c; Ministry of Rural Development, 2014).

In addition, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (2005) (NREGA) mentioned in Part 1 Section IV on Social Protection is also applicable to persons with disabilities residing in rural areas.

Old age grants, pension or assistance schemes

These are schemes under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), which can be availed if the applicant falls under the BPL category as per the Government of India (Vikaspedia, n.d.-c; Ministry of Rural Development, 2014).

Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS): Provides senior citizens over the age of 60 with no other sources of income and who fall below the poverty line with a monthly pension of Rs 200 (60+ years of age) and 500 (80+ years of age) (Vikaspedia, n.d.-c; Ministry of Rural Development, 2014).

Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS): Provides the widowed, living below the poverty line, with an amount of Rs 300 per month (Vikaspedia, n.d.-c; Ministry of Rural Development, 2014). Persons above the age of 80 will receive Rs 500 per month (Vikaspedia, n.d.-c; Ministry of Rural Development, 2014).

National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS): Provides a lumpsump of Rs 20,000 to a household in which the main breadwinner has passed away (Vikaspedia, n.d.-c; Ministry of Rural Development, 2014).

Annapurna scheme: Provides Rs 10kg of food grains per month free of cost to senior citizens living below the poverty line that are nor receiving pension under IGNOAPS (Vikaspedia, n.d.-c; Ministry of Rural Development, 2014).

The amount received under the pension schemes vary across states as state governments are urged to contribute at least an equal amount to the central government amounts mentioned above (Ministry of Rural Development, 2014).

References:

Gupta, S., de Witte, L. P., & Meershoek, A. (2021). Dimensions of invisibility: insights into the daily realities of persons with disabilities living in rural communities in India. Disability &Society, 36(8), 1285-1307.

Ministry of Rural Development (2014). National Social Assistance Programme: Programme Guidelines. Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. Available from: https://nsap.nic.in/Guidelines/nsap_guidelines_oct2014.pdf

Vikaspedia. (n.d.c). National Social Assistance Programme. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Government of India. Available from: https://vikaspedia.in/social-welfare/rural-poverty-alleviation-1/schemes/national-social-assistance-programme#:~:text=National%20Family%20Benefit%20Scheme%20(NFBS)%20%3A%20Rs.,the%20family%20eligible%20for%20assistance