SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir remains among the states and Union Territories providing relatively low social security pensions under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), even as the Union Government has ruled out any increase in the central assistance that has remained unchanged since 2012.
The position emerged from a written reply by Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 357, tabled on Tuesday.
The Ministry acknowledged that the rates of central assistance under the National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS), National Widow Pension Scheme (NWPS) and National Disability Pension Scheme (NDPS) were last revised in 2012. However, it said there is no proposal under consideration to enhance the central contribution despite inflation and the rising cost of living.
Instead, the Centre argued that states and Union Territories supplement the central pension through their own resources.
According to the Ministry, NSAP currently covers more than three crore Below Poverty Line (BPL) beneficiaries, while another 5.9 crore pensioners receive assistance under state-funded social pension schemes. Together, around nine crore people receive pensions either through central schemes, state schemes or both.
The Government told Parliament that state governments currently provide top-up assistance ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 5,700 per month, resulting in an average monthly pension of around Rs 1,100 for NSAP beneficiaries in several states and Union Territories.
Against this national backdrop, Jammu and Kashmir figures among the lower end of the spectrum.
According to the state-wise data placed before Parliament, Jammu and Kashmir provides a top-up of Rs 800 per month for beneficiaries aged 60 to 79 years under the National Old Age Pension Scheme. Pensioners aged 80 years and above receive Rs 500 as state support. Widows between 40 and 79 years receive Rs 700, while persons with disabilities between 18 and 79 years also receive Rs 700.
The Union Territory shares this benefit structure with Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Ladakh, but remains significantly behind several other states that provide substantially higher assistance.
For instance, Andhra Pradesh offers among the country’s highest social pensions, providing Rs 3,800 to old-age pensioners aged 60-79 years, Rs 3,500 to those above 80 years, Rs 3,700 to widows and Rs 5,700 to persons with disabilities.
Haryana pays between Rs 2,500 and Rs 2,800, Kerala provides Rs 1,300 to Rs 1,400, Punjab pays Rs 1,500 across all three categories, while Tripura provides between Rs 1,500 and Rs 1,800. Even neighbouring Himachal Pradesh provides Rs 1,500 to elderly pensioners aged 60-79 years and Rs 1,400 to persons with disabilities.
In contrast, only a handful of states provide lower support than Jammu and Kashmir in certain categories. Assam offers just Rs 50 to elderly pensioners aged below 80 years, while Madhya Pradesh provides between Rs 100 and Rs 400, and Odisha offers Rs 200 to Rs 400 depending on the category.
The Ministry said periodic impact assessments conducted by both the Ministry of Rural Development and NITI Aayog found that the scheme is being implemented satisfactorily at the grassroots level. According to these studies, beneficiaries expressed satisfaction with the selection process, sanction and pension disbursement, and reported that the financial assistance helped them meet essential expenses such as food and healthcare while reducing dependence on family members.
However, the same evaluations also recommended improving the adequacy of pension assistance, ensuring timely and regular payments, and strengthening beneficiary verification and monitoring systems.
Despite these recommendations, the Government reiterated that there is currently no proposal to revise the rate of central assistance under NSAP, leaving states and Union Territories to determine the level of additional support from their own budgets.
