SRINAGAR: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the continuation of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) for five years from 2026-27 to 2030-31, with an outlay of Rs 53,428 crore, widening eligibility for disability pensions and revising assistance rates for persons with disabilities.
The decision, taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is expected to benefit 3.20 crore beneficiaries across all 36 States and Union Territories, according to an official statement.
Under the revised provisions, the benchmark disability requirement for pension eligibility will be reduced from 80 per cent to 40 per cent. The minimum age criterion for disability pension will also be removed, allowing eligibility from birth.
The monthly assistance under the disability pension scheme will be Rs 375 for beneficiaries aged up to 79 years and Rs 625 for those aged 80 years and above, the statement said.
The Cabinet also approved renaming the programme and its component schemes. The National Social Assistance Programme will be renamed the Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana.
The Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme will become the Pradhan Mantri Vridhavastha Pension Yojana, while the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme will be renamed the Pradhan Mantri Vidhawa Pension Yojana.
The Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme will be renamed the Pradhan Mantri Divyangjan Pension Yojana, and the National Family Benefit Scheme will become the Pradhan Mantri Parivar Labh Yojana.
Pension schemes for elderly people and widows, along with the family benefit scheme, will continue in their existing form.
Guidelines covering the revised eligibility criteria, beneficiary numbers and assistance rates under the disability pension scheme will be issued and implemented within three months, the government said.
Launched on August 15, 1995, the NSAP provides social assistance to poor households in line with Article 41 of the Constitution, which sets out the State’s responsibility to provide public assistance in cases including old age, disability and other circumstances of need.
The government said the revised disability pension criteria were necessitated by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, which links benchmark disability to a threshold of 40 per cent. The legislation also requires disability-related assistance to be at least 25 per cent higher than comparable schemes for other categories.
