Cabinet Extends Social Assistance Programme, Eases Disability Pension Rules

On 14 October, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the continuation of the National Social Assistance Programme for five years, from 2026-27 to 2030-31, with an outlay of 53,428 crore rupees. The programme will be renamed the Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana, and its disability pension scheme will become the Pradhan Mantri Divyangjan Pension Yojana. For persons with disabilities, the key change is eligibility. The pension will now require benchmark disability of 40 per cent, instead of 80 per cent, and will be available from birth. Monthly assistance will be 375 rupees up to the age of 79, and 625 rupees for those aged 80 and above. The government said the changes align the scheme with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Pensions for older persons and widows, and the family benefit scheme, continue in their existing form. About 3.2 crore beneficiaries across all 36 States and Union Territories will benefit, and the revised guidelines are to be implemented within three months. NEWS LINK : READ ME