National Social Assistance Programme: India’s Social Assistance Framework

Context

A recent assessment of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) has highlighted that inflation has significantly reduced the real value of the Centre’s monthly pension assistance provided to elderly persons, widows and persons with disabilities over the past decade.

About National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP)

1. The National Social Assistance Programme was launched on 15^th August 1995 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme to provide social security support to vulnerable sections of society.
2. The scheme primarily targets below-poverty-line households, including elderly persons, widows, persons with disabilities and families that lose their primary earning member.
3. NSAP is considered an important step towards implementing the Directive Principles of State Policy, particularly Articles 41 and 42 of the Constitution.
4. The programme is implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development in coordination with State Governments and Union Territory administrations.
5. Financial assistance under the scheme is transferred directly to beneficiaries through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism using bank or post office accounts.
6. NSAP also operates an online portal that provides information related to scheme guidelines, circulars, reports and grievance redressal mechanisms.

Schemes under National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP)

1. Under the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), elderly persons aged 60–79 years receive a monthly pension of ₹200 from the Centre, while those aged 80 years and above receive ₹500 per month.
2. The programme also includes the Annapurna Scheme, under which eligible senior citizens who are not receiving old-age pension are provided 10 kg of food grains every month free of cost.
3. Financial support is also extended to widows through the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS), which provides ₹300 per month to widows aged 40–79 years and ₹500 to beneficiaries aged 80 years and above.
4. Persons with severe or multiple disabilities are covered under the Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS), which offers monthly assistance of ₹300 to beneficiaries aged 18–79 years and ₹500 to those aged 80 years and above.
5. NSAP also provides support to bereaved families through the National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS), under which a one-time assistance of ₹20,000 is given after the death of the primary earning member aged between 18 and 59 years.