Cabinet approves Rs 53,428 crore social assistance plan, eases disability pension rules
The renamed scheme lowers the disability threshold for pensions from 80% to 40% and removes the minimum age. The Cabinet also cleared a 78-day productivity bonus for over 11 lakh railway staff.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the continuation of the National Social Assistance Programme for five years, from 2026-27 to 2030-31, with a total outlay of Rs 53,428 crore.
The programme, launched on 15 August 1995, provides pensions and support to poor households and is fully funded by the Centre. According to reports, it covers around 3.2 crore beneficiaries across all states and Union Territories.
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New names and wider disability cover
The scheme will now be called the Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana. Its components are also being renamed: the old-age pension becomes the Pradhan Mantri Vridhavastha Pension Yojana, the widow pension the Pradhan Mantri Vidhawa Pension Yojana, the disability pension the Pradhan Mantri Divyangjan Pension Yojana, and the family benefit scheme the Pradhan Mantri Parivar Labh Yojana.
The most significant change is in the disability pension. The benchmark disability needed to qualify has been lowered from 80% to 40%, and the minimum age requirement has been removed, so eligibility now begins from birth. The monthly assistance will be Rs 375 for those up to 79 years and Rs 625 for those aged 80 and above. The changes bring the scheme in line with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, and will take effect within three months of guidelines being issued.
The old-age, widow and family benefit components will continue in their present form apart from the new names.
Festive bonus for railway staff
The Cabinet also approved a productivity-linked bonus equal to 78 days' wages for about 11.4 lakh non-gazetted railway employees, at a cost of around Rs 2,010 crore. Each eligible employee can receive up to Rs 17,951. The bonus covers track maintainers, loco pilots, guards, station masters, technicians, pointsmen and other Group C staff, and is paid each year ahead of Durga Puja and Dussehra.
Why it matters
Lowering the disability threshold is expected to bring many more people with moderate disabilities, including children, into the pension net. The railway bonus puts extra money in the hands of lakhs of families just before the festive season.
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