Three hundred reasons for change: Nagaland’s PwDs struggle with token pension

Behind the numbers are stories of isolation, barriers, and birthdays missed for want of a pension.

DIMAPUR — What would you do with a monthly pension of only INR 300?

For persons with disabilities (PwDs) in Peren district and the rest of Nagaland, this is not a rhetorical question but an everyday reality. Under the Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS) and other state schemes, beneficiaries receive INR 300 a month—usually paid once a year as INR 3,600.

The significance of this small pension is best understood through the story of a 14-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, who was waiting for it to celebrate his birthday in October 2022.

That INR 3600, under the state’s ‘blind and invalid scheme,’ could buy a small gift, a new shirt, or cover the cost of a modest celebration with family.

But in 2022, the payment never came, and his birthday passed without the celebration.

In Nagaland, the disability pension is one of the few government schemes available to PwDs, providing the stipend to severely disabled individuals aged 18-79 from BPL households. However, as the Centre allocates funds for only 2000 beneficiaries in the state with a PwD population of 29,631 (Census 2011), enrolment has been frozen for years.

Also read: Aadhaar barrier for PwDs in Nagaland

“The bitter reality is that new applicants can only be added when an existing beneficiary dies,” said Pousibou, the vice president of Differently Abled People’s Organisation, Peren (DAPO).

To assess how many PwDs are benefiting from government schemes, the DAPO sought statistics from the district’s Social Welfare department.

However, the office could only provide figures from 2022–2023, explaining that updated data would come from the directorate in Kohima and would take some time. Even so, the records showed that 378 individuals were covered under four schemes, including IGNDPS.

According to the organisation, pension is disbursed through the District Welfare Office, but many PwDs are unable to collect it in person due to challenges such as mobility issues, lack of accessible or available transportation, and the long distances from interior villages. As a result, Anganwadi workers, village council members, or other trusted representatives often collect the pension on behalf of PwDs in the villages.

Read more: How many are we? The data deficit holding back disability rights in Nagaland

“But some of these parties deduct money from the pension amount, claiming it to be compensation for their sacrifices, travelling expenses or refreshments,” Pousibou said.

The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system has helped but not solved the problem. Many PwDs do not have bank accounts, and some have been unable to obtain Aadhaar cards despite repeated attempts, making it impossible for them to receive payments directly.

Inaccurate data and barriers

DAPO’s 2019 records showed 567 registered PwDs in Peren, currently updated to 337 as the organisation is in the process of refreshing its database.

According to Census 2011 data, Peren has 1,492 PwDs, but Pousibou noted that this figure is no longer reliable.

The last Census was conducted more than a decade ago, and the enactment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act 2016 expanded the recognised categories from 7 to 21. Without a fresh survey, the actual number of PwDs in the district or anywhere else in the state remains unknown.

“Without updated data, services and schemes cannot reflect the real situation,” he said.

Also read: From Wheelchair to Wireless: Youth with cerebral palsy builds SIM hub in Jalukie

Beyond the unreliable data, Pousibou said that Peren’s PwDs continue to face immense barriers “right from their homes to the highest levels of the social system.”

He explained that discrimination within families often happens unintentionally. Parents or siblings may feel ashamed and hide a child with disability from the community. As a result, some children grow up isolated from the outside world for years, and in some cases, for their entire lives.

In terms of accessibility, Pousibou said: “The service system and the infrastructures are not built to meet the needs of the PwDs in the district.” He called it as “one of the biggest issues and barriers.”

Education is one area where this lack of accessibility is most visible. Ngaugongbe, an Inclusive Education resource person at Ahthibung EBRC, Peren, said that being an interior district with most people residing in rural areas, Peren lacks well-equipped schools and institutions that can adequately accommodate children with disabilities. Existing schools, he noted, are still struggling to understand and implement true inclusive education.

He pointed out that under the Samagra Shiksha programme, the department of School Education has been placing greater emphasis on inclusive education, with efforts to identify children with disabilities and provide interventions. For the past three years, the department has conducted assessment camps for both school-going and out-of-school children with disabilities, who are then provided with aids and appliances.

However, the academic growth of these children remains limited due to the shortage of special educators and trained teachers with the skills to meet their needs, Ngaugongbe said.

The DAPO pointed out that there is no dedicated institute or centre in Peren that promotes skill development or vocational training for PwDs. A major reason for this, it said, is the lack of consultation and inclusion of PwDs in decision-making, which prevents their proper integration with the rest of society.

“There is a special employment exchange in the district, but challenges persist as literacy levels among PwDs remain low,” Pousibou said.

But for now, a wide gap remains, and organisations like DAPO continue to press for greater recognition of the needs and rights of PwDs.

It was against this backdrop that, on August 15, 2025, members of DAPO were invited for the first time to participate in the district’s Independence Day celebration, where they gave a special presentation.

“It is our hope that this symbolic participation will translate into recognition of our rights and more participation of persons with disabilities in society,” Pousibou said.

For families like that of the 14-year-old in Peren, true recognition would mean a society where a child’s birthday is never reduced to whether a pension arrives.

(This report is facilitated by LIC HFL Sarthak)