The Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India and Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited have signed a memorandum of understanding for a ₹7 crore corporate social responsibility initiative supporting persons with disabilities and senior citizens.
The ALIMCO-HURL partnership will strengthen the Pradhan Mantri Divyasha-Vayoshri Kendra in Gorakhpur while supporting assistive-device assessment and distribution programmes in Barauni, Bihar, and Sindri, Jharkhand.
The proposed services will include beneficiary identification, professional assessment and the provision of appropriate assistive products. These may include prostheses, orthoses, wheelchairs, hearing aids and other devices selected according to individual requirements.
Importantly, the programme also refers to post-distribution follow-up and maintenance support where applicable. This makes the partnership particularly relevant to India’s prosthetics and orthotics community because successful assistive-technology provision depends on considerably more than handing over a product.
The agreement was announced in the presence of ALIMCO Chairman and Managing Director Praveen Kumar and HURL Managing Director Dr Siba Prasad Mohanty. Reports indicate that the project is expected to operate for 12 months from the signing of the MoU.
Three locations with different delivery models
The partnership combines a permanent service-centre investment with targeted community outreach.
In Gorakhpur, HURL’s CSR funding will support the adoption and strengthening of the existing PMD-VK. The Pradhan Mantri Divyasha-Vayoshri Kendra model is intended to improve continuing access to assessment, assistive products and related services for Divyangjan and senior citizens.
In Barauni and Sindri, the programme will use dedicated camps to identify eligible beneficiaries, assess their requirements and distribute appropriate devices.
This combination is important. Outreach camps can reach people who may not otherwise travel to a permanent rehabilitation centre, while a strengthened service location can provide the continuity required for adjustment, maintenance and longer-term support.
HURL’s presence across Gorakhpur, Barauni and Sindri also gives the initiative a clear geographic connection to communities surrounding its principal operating locations. The company is a joint venture established to operate fertiliser complexes in these three areas.
Why assessment must come before distribution
A prosthesis or orthosis cannot be selected safely from a product list alone.
Appropriate provision may require:
- Medical and functional assessment
- Review of the person’s diagnosis and rehabilitation goals
- Measurement, casting or digital scanning
- Selection of an appropriate device category
- Custom fabrication or individual adjustment
- Fitting and alignment
- Mobility or functional training
- Education in safe use and care
- Scheduled review
- Repair or replacement planning
For prosthetic users, changes in residual-limb volume, skin condition, body weight and activity can affect socket fit. Orthotic users may require changes to alignment, straps, padding, trim lines or corrective forces. Children require particularly close monitoring because growth can quickly make an otherwise successful device unsuitable.
The inclusion of professional assessment and post-distribution support therefore gives the initiative the potential to move beyond a one-day distribution model.
Relevance for Indian CPOs
Certified prosthetists and orthotists should play a central role wherever the programme includes prostheses, orthoses or other custom-fitted devices.
Their involvement is necessary to translate a broad CSR commitment into clinically appropriate outcomes. This includes determining whether a device is indicated, selecting its design, managing fabrication and fitting, and reviewing how the person functions after delivery.
The initiative could also create opportunities for cooperation between ALIMCO, local hospitals, rehabilitation professionals and community organisations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.
Where beneficiaries require services beyond the initial programme, clearly defined referral pathways will be important. These may include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, medical management, surgery, diabetic-foot care, audiology and local prosthetic or orthotic follow-up.
CSR support with an established history
This is not the first assistive-technology collaboration between HURL and ALIMCO.
HURL’s earlier CSR planning included Project Swasthya Sathi, delivered through ALIMCO in Gorakhpur, Barauni and Sindri. The initiative supported the distribution of aids and assistive devices for persons with disabilities and senior citizens.
HURL and ALIMCO also previously conducted assistive-device activity in Sindri. The new ₹7 crore agreement therefore appears to expand an existing working relationship rather than create an entirely new delivery partnership.
ALIMCO has substantial experience implementing government and corporate programmes. According to its 2024–25 reporting, the organisation conducted 246 CSR camps during that financial year and supplied more than 72,000 aids and assistive devices to over 34,000 beneficiaries.
Its wider infrastructure includes auxiliary production centres, regional marketing centres and PMD-VK locations supporting access across India.
The importance of follow-up and maintenance
The reference to maintenance support is one of the most significant parts of the announcement.
The impact of assistive technology should not be measured only by the number of devices distributed. Programmes should also determine whether the device remains safe, comfortable, functional and in regular use.
Useful outcome measures could include:
- Time between assessment and delivery
- Successful fitting at the first appointment
- Device use after three and six months
- Comfort and skin integrity
- Mobility or functional improvement
- Repair requirements
- Patient and caregiver satisfaction
- Return to education, employment or community participation
- Availability of replacement components
- Referral for reassessment when needs change
For a permanent centre such as PMD-VK Gorakhpur, ongoing access may make these outcomes easier to monitor. For camp-based services in Barauni and Sindri, the partners will need clearly communicated follow-up locations, contact routes and maintenance responsibilities.
Combining institutional capacity and corporate funding
The partnership illustrates how CSR funding can be combined with an established public-sector assistive-technology provider.
HURL contributes the financial support and a connection to communities surrounding its operating locations. ALIMCO contributes product knowledge, assessment capability, manufacturing infrastructure and experience delivering large-scale government and CSR programmes.
If the programme maintains professional assessment, appropriate prescription, individual fitting and continuing support, it could offer a model for CSR-funded assistive technology that focuses on complete service pathways rather than distribution numbers alone.
For beneficiaries, the objective is greater mobility, independence, dignity and participation. For India’s rehabilitation sector, the broader opportunity is to demonstrate that corporate support can finance not only devices, but the professional services required to make those devices effective.
- ALIMCO Official Website
- Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited
- ALIMCO Information on Services and CSR Collaboration
- Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
- HURL CSR Annual Action Plan