Over 100 senior citizens and Divyangjan (persons with disabilities) received assistive aids, devices, and equipment — including tricycles — at a Samajik Adhikarita Shivir held in Mohanpur, West Tripura on 17 September 2025, coinciding with the 76th birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The distribution camp was organised under two central government schemes — the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) and the Assistance to Disabled Persons (ADIP) scheme — at the South Taranagar Gram Panchayat in Mohanpur.

What Was Distributed and Where

The assistive equipment handed out ranged from mobility aids such as tricycles to other devices designed to support daily living for elderly and disabled beneficiaries. The event was part of a wider nationwide calendar of welfare activities marking the Prime Minister's birthday, with Tripura hosting one such district-level camp in West Tripura.

What the State Minister Said

Addressing the gathering, Tripura Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath said the Modi government's approach centres on empowerment rather than sympathy. 'Social sensitivity and collective responsibility are essential to ensuring that the benefits of government schemes reach every citizen,' the Minister said. He stressed that the term Divyang — coined to reflect dignity and ability — represents a deliberate shift in how the government frames disability policy.

Minister Nath highlighted several flagship Union government schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, and the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, describing them as part of a broader effort to extend welfare to the last mile. He noted that Jan Dhan accounts have reduced dependence on intermediaries by enabling direct benefit transfers into beneficiaries' bank accounts.

Schemes Behind the Camp

The Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana provides assistive living devices to senior citizens living below the poverty line, while the ADIP scheme funds assistive and corrective devices for persons with disabilities. Both are administered by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Samajik Adhikarita Shivirs — district-level distribution camps — serve as delivery points, often timed to mark national occasions.

Context and Significance

This is one of several such camps held across India on 17 September each year as part of birthday-linked outreach by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its government. Notably, Tripura — a state the BJP won from the left in 2018 — has been an active site for central scheme implementation, with the ruling alliance frequently using welfare events to reinforce grassroots connect. The Minister also underlined that Prime Minister Modi has spent approximately 25 years in public life since first becoming Chief Minister of Gujarat, framing the birthday observance as both a welfare milestone and a political statement of continuity.

Further such distribution camps are expected to be organised across other districts of Tripura and the rest of the country as part of the birthday week programme.