NEW DELHI: The Centre on Wednesday approved the continuation of its flagship social security scheme National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) for five years until 2031, while renaming it Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana and dropping former PM Indira Gandhi’s name from three of its sub-schemes.Announcing the decision, I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the “comprehensive social security net” will cover vulnerable groups, including the elderly, widows and persons with disabilities. The scheme with an outlay of Rs 53,428 crore is expected to benefit 3.2 crore people.The revamped programme revises the eligibility criteria for pension for persons with disability (PwD) and increases the assistance provided under the sub-scheme.As per the official release, Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme has been renamed PM Vridhavastha Pension Yojana, the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme is now PM Vidhawa Pension Yojana and Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme becomes PM Divyangjan Pension Yojana.This comes after the Cabinet approved a new rural employment guarantee scheme, Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), in December last year, replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).Under the revised disability pension sub-scheme, monthly assistance will increase to Rs 375 for beneficiaries from birth to 79 years and to Rs 625 for those aged 80 and above. Till now, beneficiaries aged 18–79 received Rs 300 per month, while those aged 80 and above received Rs 500.The eligibility threshold for benchmark disability has also been reduced to 40% from 80%, bringing the scheme in line with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Govt said the revision was necessitated by the law, which has also mandated that disability-related assistance be at least 25% higher than that provided under comparable schemes for other categories. The revised scheme is expected to cover more than 27.48 lakh beneficiaries.
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The pension amounts under the old-age and widow pension schemes, as well as assistance under the National Family Benefit Scheme, will remain unchanged. The old-age pension ranges from Rs 200 to Rs 500 per month and covers 221.31 lakh beneficiaries, while the widow pension ranges from Rs 300 to Rs 500 per month and covers 67.38 lakh beneficiaries.Under the National Family Benefit Scheme, a one-time financial assistance of Rs 20,000 is provided to a household following the death of its primary breadwinner, provided the deceased was aged between 18 and 59 years. The scheme covers up to 3.59 lakh beneficiaries.
