Centre removes Indira Gandhi’s name from three pension schemes

The Union Cabinet has continued the National Social Assistance Programme for another five years and changed its official name. It will now be called Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana. The change matters because the programme supports vulnerable people through pensions and family assistance.

Four existing schemes have also been renamed. IGNOAPS becomes Pradhan Mantri Vridhavastha Pension Yojana, IGNWPS becomes Pradhan Mantri Vidhawa Pension Yojana, IGNDPS becomes Pradhan Mantri Divyangjan Pension Yojana, and the National Family Benefit Scheme becomes Pradhan Mantri Parivar Labh Yojana. The Annapurna Scheme is listed among the five schemes, but no new name is given in the statement.

The Cabinet kept old-age, widow, and family-benefit arrangements unchanged. It revised the disability pension’s eligibility, coverage, and payment rates. The programme will continue from 2026-27 through 2030-31, with a total outlay of Rs 53,428 crore.

The National Social Assistance Programme is a key social-welfare scheme launched in 1995. It provides assistance to vulnerable groups that may struggle to meet basic needs. The programme matters because it offers organised public support through pensions and family-benefit assistance.

Its beneficiaries include elderly people, widows, and persons with disabilities. It also includes a family benefit scheme and the Annapurna Scheme. The programme currently has five schemes: old-age pension, widow pension, disability pension, National Family Benefit Scheme, and Annapurna.

The Cabinet has approved the programme’s continuation for five years. Old-age and widow pensions will continue in their existing form. The disability pension will have revised eligibility and higher assistance. The programme’s new name will be Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana, reflecting the Cabinet’s decision to rename the overall programme and several sub-schemes.

The NSAP is a large national social-assistance programme covering five schemes. Its scale matters because the Cabinet has committed a total outlay of Rs 53,428 crore for continued support. The funding will keep the programme operating over a defined five-year period.

The five schemes are old-age pension, widow pension, disability pension, the National Family Benefit Scheme, and the Annapurna Scheme. Their earlier names include IGNOAPS, IGNWPS, IGNDPS, NFBS, and Annapurna. Several will now carry new Pradhan Mantri names.

The approved period runs from 2026-27 to 2030-31. The article does not provide a year-by-year spending split or the number of beneficiaries. It does state that old-age, widow, and family-benefit schemes will continue in their existing form, while disability assistance will be revised.

The Cabinet has revised the disability pension more substantially than the other NSAP benefits. The changes cover eligibility, disability coverage, and payment rates. They matter because more people may qualify, while existing beneficiaries in different age groups receive higher assistance.

A beneficiary aged 0-79 will receive Rs 375, up from Rs 300. A beneficiary aged 80 years or above will receive Rs 625, up from Rs 500. The minimum age criterion is now since birth, rather than excluding people because of age at entry. The benchmark disability requirement is 40%, down from 80%.

These changes apply to the renamed Pradhan Mantri Divyangjan Pension Yojana. The article does not state how many additional people will qualify or when individual payments will begin. It confirms that the old-age and widow pension schemes, unlike the disability scheme, receive no payment increase.

The decision creates different effects across NSAP groups. Elderly people and widows will remain under their existing pension arrangements, while families receiving the National Family Benefit Scheme will also see that scheme continue in its existing form. The article reports no increase for these groups.

Persons with disabilities receive the main changes. Beneficiaries aged 0-79 will get Rs 375 instead of Rs 300, and those aged 80 or above will get Rs 625 instead of Rs 500. The benchmark disability requirement will be 40%, compared with 80% earlier, and the minimum age criterion will be since birth.

The practical reach of disability assistance could therefore expand, while payment levels increase for eligible recipients. However, the article does not provide beneficiary numbers, explain the application process, or state when revised payments will be credited. The programme itself will continue through 2030-31.

The National Social Assistance Programme began in 1995. The article describes it as a key social-welfare scheme that provides pensions and other assistance to vulnerable groups. Its central purpose is to organise public support for people facing particular social or economic vulnerability.

The programme supports elderly people through old-age pensions, widows through widow pensions, and persons with disabilities through disability pensions. It also includes the National Family Benefit Scheme and the Annapurna Scheme. Together, these five schemes form the programme’s current structure.

The Cabinet has now approved its continuation for five years, from 2026-27 to 2030-31. The programme will be renamed Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana. The article does not give a more specific account of the conditions that led to its creation, such as poverty levels or beneficiary numbers, so those details cannot be established from the text.

A government-funded social-assistance pension is paid from public funds to people who meet the programme’s eligibility rules. It is designed as support for vulnerable groups, such as elderly people, widows, and persons with disabilities. The NSAP described here is this kind of assistance programme.

A contributory retirement pension works differently. During working years, a person and sometimes an employer pay contributions into a pension or retirement system. Later payments are generally linked to the person’s contribution record and applicable rules. The benefit is therefore built through work-related contributions rather than awarded solely because someone belongs to a vulnerable group.

The distinction affects access and financing. Social assistance can support people who lack a contribution history, while contributory pensions are connected to prior employment or payments. The article does not discuss contributory pensions; this comparison uses the standard meaning of the two systems and helps explain NSAP’s role.