Rehabilitation Council of India Removes Fees and Digitises National Register To Reform Rehabilitation Education
SDG 4: Quality Education | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Institutions: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment | Rehabilitation Council of India
The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, has introduced sweeping reforms aimed at revamping rehabilitation education and professional governance across India. Rehabilitation education refers to specialised training and professional courses that prepare people to work with persons with disabilities. Key changes include:
Complete fee-waiver for issuance, renewal and qualification-addition in the Central Rehabilitation Register (CRR);
Extension of CRR validity from 5 to 7 years, and introduction of automatic renewal for professionals who accrue 100+ Continuing Rehabilitation Education (CRE) points;
Launch of a free digital dashboard for professionals to make corrections online; institutions now pay no processing fee for CRE programmes;
Designation of 144 top institutions/universities as “Centers of Excellence”, granting autonomy to conduct national/international CRE programmes and enjoying extended approval tenures;
Simplified regulatory processes: reduced approval fees, common NOC system, video-based inspections, and a new “Improvement Notice” mechanism to minimise repeated inspections.
These measures make India’s rehabilitation-education system more inclusive and responsive by lowering entry barriers, enhancing digital governance, and professionalising disability-sector capacity-building. The reforms advance India’s commitments under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (2016) and the Inclusive Education agenda of Viksit Bharat @ 2047.
What is the Central Rehabilitation Register (CRR)? → The Central Rehabilitation Register is a national registry maintained by RCI that lists certified rehabilitation professionals qualified to serve persons with disabilities. It ensures credential verification, professional accountability, and continuous learning through CRE points, linking practitioners with updated training and regulatory standards.
What is Rehabilitation Education? → Rehabilitation education refers to specialised training and professional courses that prepare people to work with persons with disabilities. It covers disciplines such as special education, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and hearing, clinical psychology, and rehabilitation counselling. The aim is to build skills for assessment, therapy, assistive-technology use, and community inclusion, ensuring that disability services are delivered by qualified, regulated professionals under standards set by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI).
Follow the full news here: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2183258