FAST READ
- The Union Cabinet approved Rs 53,428 crore to continue the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) for FY27 to FY31 and renamed it PMSSY.
- NSAP is the Centre's main non-contributory social pension and family benefit scheme.
- The Cabinet also approved a 78-day productivity-linked bonus for railway employees.
WHY IN NEWS
Centrally sponsored schemes must be re-appraised and approved for each Finance Commission cycle. The approval continues social pensions for the elderly, widows and persons with disabilities for five more years and gives the programme a new name.
TOP DATA & FACTS
- Outlay approved: Rs 53,428 crore for the five years FY2026-27 to FY2030-31.
- NSAP was launched on 15 August 1995 and is run by the Ministry of Rural Development.
- It supports the Directive Principle in Article 41 on the right to public assistance in old age, sickness and disablement.
- Its components include pensions for old age, widows and disabled persons, a family benefit on the death of a breadwinner, and Annapurna for food security.
- The Cabinet separately approved a 78-day productivity-linked bonus of about Rs 2,009.61 crore for around 11.4 lakh non-gazetted railway employees.
- Beneficiaries are identified from Below Poverty Line lists and delivered through Direct Benefit Transfer.
PRELIMS
- NSAP is a centrally sponsored scheme, meaning the Centre and States share responsibility for funding and implementation.
- Article 41 is a Directive Principle of State Policy and is non-justiciable.
- Direct Benefit Transfer reduces leakages by sending payments straight to beneficiary bank accounts.
- A productivity-linked bonus is different from an ad hoc bonus: it is tied to railway performance indicators.
QUICK REVISION
Rs 53,428 crore for NSAP now PMSSY, FY27 to FY31; launched 1995; Article 41 link; pensions for old age, widows and disability, plus family benefit and Annapurna. Recall the exclusion-error debate, the pension amount gap between Centre and States, and the role of DBT and Aadhaar.
PROBABLE OBJECTIVE QUESTION
With reference to the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), consider the following statements:
- It is implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development.
- It is based on the Directive Principle on public assistance in Article 41.
- It requires beneficiaries to contribute to a pension fund. Which of the statements given above are correct?