The National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research is shortly called as NIRTAR and it is an autonomous body functioning under the Government of India’s ‘Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment’. The institute conducts rehabilitation campus in the interior, remote and rural areas of the north-eastern states and in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.

Courses offered by the institute:

“NIRTAR” offers following three courses with affiliation from the Utkal University at Bhubaneswar:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Prosthetics and Orthotics, shortly “BPO”

• Bachelor’s Degree in Physiotherapy, shortly “BPT”

• Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Therapy shortly “BOT”

These courses extend to a period of four years and six months, which includes six months compulsory internship period.

For the BOT and BPT courses, the institute can have an intake capacity of 62 students each per year, while for BPO course, 46 students per year can be admitted.

Reservation allowed for SC/ST and PH candidates:

From the above-mentioned seats for each of the courses offered by NIRTAR, 7.5% seats are being reserved for ST candidates, 15% of seats are reserved for SC candidates and one seat is reserved for physically disabled candidates.

However, it is essential that the disability of candidates should be less than 40% and it should not in any way act as a hindrance for their training or studies. Apart from these reservations, 1 seat for BPO, 2 seats for BOT and 3 seats for BPT courses are reserved for candidates belonging to backwards states and these candidates are selected by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment directly.

Minimum educational eligibility for NIRTAR:

It is essential that candidates must have completed their 10+2 in science group with minimum 50% of marks for seeking admission to the courses offered by NIRTAR. For BPT and BOT courses, they must have studied Physics, chemistry and biology subject, while for BPO Course; they should have undertaken mathematics along with these subjects.

The required percentage of marks for reserved category candidates is 40% in the qualifying examination. It is also essential that candidates must have studied English as a subject at the higher secondary level. However, if a candidate has discontinued his/her studies for more than three years from the passing date of higher secondary examination, they are not eligible to apply.

Age requirement:

When it comes to age requirements, the minimum age is 17 years and maximum age is 22 years as on the 31st of August of the year in which he/she is seeking admission. When calculating age, date of birth as registered in the matriculation or secondary education board will be considered as genuine proof.

Selection Process:

Admission of students to the different courses offered by the institute will be done based on the Common Entrance Test (CET). This test will be conducted on All India basis and a merit list will be prepared by the institute for selection of candidates based on this CET score. There will be counseling for candidates getting through this entrance test. CET exam will be held at Patna, Chennai, Bhopal, Srinagar, Raipur, Ranchi, Lucknow, Kolkata, Indore, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Delhi and Bhubaneswar and counseling will be held at Olatpur, which is located at about 30 kms from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. List of candidates to be invited for counseling will be published in the website of the institute (http://nirtar.nic.in/).

Schedule of application and CET:

Normally, NIRTAR issues notification in leading regional language and English newspapers/dailies calling for applications from candidates during the month of February/March every year and applications are issued during the months of April/May. Following the issue of application, CET will be conducted in the month of June/July and the result of the same will be published in the last week of July month every year.

Where to get the application forms?

Candidates who wish to apply to NIRTAR can get the application form either in person or through post from the following centres:

• SVNIRTAR, Olatpur

• Other National Institutes-

Pt.DDU IPH, 4 Vishnu Digamber Marg, New Delhi 110002

NIOH, B.T.Road, Bon Hooghly, Kolkata 700090

• Composite Regional Centres (CRC)

CRC, Shastri Bhavan, Opp. Sainik School, Sarojini Nagar, Lucknow 226008

CRC, Nr.S.K.I.M.S Hopsital, Bemina, Srinagar 190010

CRC, PMRT Building, GMCH, Guwahati-32

Cost of Application and last date for submission of application:

Candidates can get the application form in person from the above-mentioned addresses by paying Rs.500 (Rs.400 for SC/ST/PH Candidates) in the form of Demand Draft drawn in favor of The Director, SVNIRTAR payable at Cuttack, Orissa.

For candidates, who wish to get application through post DD worth Rs.550 (Rs.450 for SC/ST/PH candidates) should be sent with self-addressed envelope to any of the addresses mentioned above.

Last date of submission of application will be usually fixed by the institute in the last week of May or the first week of June every year.

Apart from educational services, NRTAR also offers consultancy services to Governmental and non-governmental organizations in offering rehabilitation services.