Every month, families walk into our clinic having postponed a hearing aid for years because they believed it would cost a lakh or more. Many of them qualified all along for a free device under a central government scheme they had never heard of. This guide puts the scattered ADIP information — eligibility, slabs, documents, camps in Gujarat — in one place.
What is the ADIP scheme?
ADIP stands for Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances, a scheme of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Government of India. For hearing disability, it provides digital behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids, batteries for the initial period, and fitting — distributed mainly through ALIMCO (the government's artificial limbs corporation), District Disability Rehabilitation Centres (DDRCs), civil hospitals and registered NGOs. Children with hearing loss are a special priority and are normally issued two aids, one for each ear, because both ears matter for speech development.
Who is eligible for a free hearing aid under ADIP?
- Disability: 40 per cent or more hearing disability, certified on a disability certificate / UDID card. The percentage is decided at a government medical board after audiometry.
- Income: monthly family income within the scheme ceiling. The slabs below have applied in recent years — they are revised from time to time, so confirm the current figure at the camp or DDRC before you travel.
- Citizenship and repeat benefit: Indian citizens of any age; you can normally receive the aid again after a gap (typically four years for adults, sooner for growing children) if the earlier device is worn out.
| Monthly family income | What you pay |
|---|---|
| Up to about Rs.20,000 | Nothing — device is fully free |
| About Rs.20,001 to Rs.22,500 | 50 per cent of the device cost |
| Above the ceiling | Not eligible — see private options below |
Which documents do I need?
Carry originals plus two photocopies of each. Incomplete files are the single biggest reason people return from camps empty-handed.
- UDID card or disability certificate showing 40 per cent or more hearing disability — apply at swavlambancard.gov.in or through the civil hospital if you do not have one yet.
- Income certificate from the competent authority (mamlatdar/taluka office), or BPL card, or MGNREGA card, or a self-declaration where the camp accepts it.
- Aadhaar card of the applicant.
- Two passport-size photographs.
- Recent audiogram if you have one — not always mandatory, but it speeds up assessment at the camp.
How does the application actually happen?
There is no single online form for the hearing aid itself; distribution happens through assessment-and-distribution camps and centres. The practical route in Gujarat looks like this:
- Step 1 — Get the UDID first. This takes one to three months and is the bottleneck. Everything else waits for it.
- Step 2 — Find a camp or centre. ALIMCO camps are announced through the district administration and local newspapers; the DDRC and the District Social Defence Office in Gandhinagar, civil hospital ENT departments in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad, and Red Cross units also register beneficiaries through the year.
- Step 3 — Attend with the full document file. An audiologist at the camp tests your hearing and recommends the device.
- Step 4 — Fitting and follow-up. The aid is fitted the same day or supplied at a later distribution; ask in writing where to go for repairs and batteries afterwards.
A pattern we see often at our Gandhinagar clinic: an elderly person receives an ADIP aid at a camp, but no one programmes it for their exact audiogram or teaches them to use it, so it sits in the cupboard within a month. The device is rarely the problem — the missing fitting and follow-up are. If you have a scheme aid lying unused, bring it in; reprogramming and ear-mould adjustment usually revive it.
Is the ADIP route right for you?
Be clear-eyed about what you get: a sturdy, basic digital BTE aid — not an invisible, rechargeable or Bluetooth model, and you cannot choose the brand. For severe loss in a low-income household it is a genuine lifeline. If your income is above the ceiling, or you need better noise handling for work, compare entry-level private devices first — our breakdown of hearing aid prices in Gandhinagar shows respectable digital aids from about Rs.15,000, and our guide to the best hearing aid brands in India explains what each price band buys. For an honest assessment of which route suits your hearing loss and budget — scheme, basic private or advanced — visit our hearing aid centre in Gandhinagar; we will tell you plainly if the free option is enough.