The Chief Minister's Office of Uttar Pradesh announced on Wednesday, 1 July 2026 that the state government provided an escort allowance of ₹6,000 per year to more than 13,000 severely and multi-disabled children in the past year, alongside a stipend of ₹2,000 per year to over 23,000 disabled girls, under what it described as a special campaign for the welfare and empowerment of children with disabilities.

Context

The post, attributed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, states in Hindi: 'यह हमारी सरकार द्वारा दिव्यांग बच्चों के कल्याण और सशक्तीकरण के लिए प्रारंभ किया गया एक विशेष अभियान है' — meaning, 'This is a special campaign initiated by our government for the welfare and empowerment of disabled children.' The announcement highlights two distinct financial support streams: an escort allowance targeting severely and multi-disabled children, and a stipend directed specifically at disabled girls.

The escort allowance of ₹6,000 per annum is designed to cover the cost of accompanying carers or escorts who help severely disabled children access education and essential services. The stipend of ₹2,000 per annum for disabled girls serves as an additional incentive for their continued schooling and participation in public life.

Policy Backdrop

Both schemes operate within the framework of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, a central legislation that expanded recognised disability categories from 7 to 21 and placed a binding obligation on state governments to provide financial allowances, educational support, and rehabilitation services. Uttar Pradesh, as India's most populous state, carries one of the largest disability welfare mandates of any state in the country.

The 2016 Act replaced the earlier Persons with Disabilities Act of 1995 and introduced a more inclusive definition of disability, bringing conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy, and acid-attack injuries under its ambit. State-level escort allowances and girl-child stipends have since become a standard instrument through which states operationalise the Act's directives on financial inclusion for persons with disabilities.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries are two distinct groups: severely and multi-disabled children — who often face the highest barriers to mobility and school attendance — and disabled girls, who face compounded disadvantages of disability and gender. Direct cash transfers of this nature, deposited into beneficiary accounts, aim to reduce dependence on intermediaries and ensure funds reach families directly.

Uttar Pradesh's large population base means that even modest per-beneficiary amounts translate into significant aggregate state expenditure and coverage when measured against national benchmarks for disability welfare. The state's programmes in this space are frequently cited as part of the broader national pattern of supplementing central disability schemes with localised allowances.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the Uttar Pradesh state budget for 2026-27 to assess whether allocations for disability welfare schemes are being expanded, and whether the per-beneficiary allowance rates — unchanged at ₹6,000 and ₹2,000 respectively — will be revised upward to keep pace with inflation. Any announcement on widening beneficiary coverage or adding new disability categories will be a key indicator of the programme's trajectory under the Yogi Adityanath government.