New Delhi: The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the Department of Rural Development’s proposal for the continuation of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) with a total outlay of Rs 53,428 crore for five years from 2026-27 to 2030-31, which will cover a total of 3.20 crore beneficiaries across all 36 states and UTs across the country, according to an official statement.
The approval includes renaming of the scheme and sub-schemes, revision in eligibility criteria, coverage and rate of assistance for divyangjan pension and continuation of pension schemes for old aged and widows and family benefit scheme in its existing form.
The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) will now be called the Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana, while the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) has been renamed the Pradhan Mantri Vridhavastha Pension Yojana, and the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) is now named the Pradhan Mantri Vidhawa Pension Yojana. The Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS) and National Family Benefit Scheme will now be named the Pradhan Mantri Divyangjan Pension Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Parivar Labh Yojana, respectively.
The amount of assistance under the Divyangjan Pension Scheme will now be Rs 375 for the age group of 0-79 years and Rs 625 for 80 years and above.
The following changes have been made along with enhancement of the rate of assistance under the scheme: The criteria for benchmark disability under the scheme will be 40 per cent against 80 per cent at present, and the minimum age criterion for the disability pension will now be from birth.
The pension schemes for the old aged and widows and the family benefit scheme will continue in their existing form.
Guidelines consisting of the change in eligibility criteria, number of beneficiaries and rate of assistance under divyangjan pension will be issued and implemented within three months, the statement said.
The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) was launched on August 15, 1995 for assistance to poor households to fulfil the responsibility of the Central government under the Directive Principles of State Policy in Article 41 of the Constitution. The intention in providing 100 per cent central assistance is to ensure that assistance to the beneficiaries everywhere in the country is uniformly available.
The Rights of Persons with Disability Act 2016 has necessitated changes in the eligibility criteria for disability pension and linked it to the ‘Benchmark Disability’ of 40 per cent. In addition, it has also mandated the disability related assistance to be invariably 25 per cent higher than similarly placed schemes being mooted for other categories.
(IANS)
